


Whispers of the Goddess

by McNuggets



Series: Those Crazier South Park Days [5]
Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/M, Fictional Religion & Theology, Gen, Past Lives, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Stick of Truth AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:27:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 53,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25227550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McNuggets/pseuds/McNuggets
Summary: "That was when Thamera discovered a mortal that had taken refuge in the desert. He was a Drow King, displaced from the strife among his people and the humans. Thamera watched over him, how he managed to adapt to the desert and hunt down the snakes for food while drinking the juice from the cactus plants. Thamera was so impressed that she created an oasis for the Drow King, taking the form of a mortal to watch over him. She fell in love with the King and his strength, revealing herself to him. The Drow King was enchanted with her beauty and voice, falling for her at first sight and requesting her to bear his children. Her children grew up in the desert, where they’re known today as the Blood Elves, mortals created from the goddess and her love of the Drow.”A love story that surpasses multiple lifetimes.
Relationships: Kenny McCormick/Original Female Character(s), Kyle Broflovski/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Those Crazier South Park Days [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776412
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I always wanted to do a Stick of Truth AU to Those Crazy South Park Days. I started this a long-long time ago, around when I started Blackmailing Love. I just finished it.
> 
> The whispers, if you visualize them, would be butterflies.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edit 11/8: Now in manageable chapters for your convenience!

Bright eyes stared out beyond the pane of glass that separated them from the outside world. The girl that belonged to them nearly bounced in her seat at the sights of children playing in the streets, having stopped momentarily to stare at the minivan that was towing the moving trailer behind it.

“Stop squirming!” Her brother sounded agitated and annoyed, in which he was, having had to sit next to _her_ for five hours. Beside him, an identical girl was staring out into the street with uninterested eyes, turning away from the window to write something down on her iPad with the apple pencil in her hand. The brother looked away from one sister to the other, peering down at the tablet and trying to decipher the words, only for the girl to shut off the screen when she saw him peeking. She glared at him, saying nothing, and he rolled his eyes and folded his arms, sitting back against the seat. “Is this where we’re living?” He asked his father, the boy looking nearly offended at the town he was looking at, mainly the snow. “Why did you choose this place?” He grimaced.

“Because work called me here, that’s why.” The man replied, a man that looked too big to fit in the minivan due to his bulging arms and thick waist. He wasn’t fat, no, he was just big.

“I want to play!” The girl to the boy’s left said suddenly, turning in her seat to lean forward and grab the headrest, “Dad do we have to stay and help move?”

The man’s eyes lingered on the rear-view mirror, where the children resumed playing with their wooden swords and bows. “I suppose you can make some friends.” He said then, unable to tell his daughter no.

“You’re coming with me.” The girl reached for her brother’s hand and he scowled at her, trying to yank it away.

“I am certainly no—“

“Damien, I’d feel better if your sister went with someone else and not by herself.”

“Then get Liz to—“

“No.” The girl to his right spoke up before he could finish, and Damien glared at her, feeling the girl to his left’s hand grip tighter around his.

“Alice, we have to set some ground rules.” The man then said, looking to the girl’s bright eyes from the rear-view mirror. “Curfew is at sundown, alright? You both come come before it gets dark.”

“Yes, dad.” Alice said in a bored tone.

“And don’t go anywhere without Damien.” He said then.

“Without me—“ He spoke up to argue again, but the man glared at him.

“Without supervision Alice ends up getting into more trouble than you and Elizabeth combined, you’re going with her.”

“If I have to go then Elizabeth does as well!” The boy’s red eyes were blazing, pointing to his quiet sister. The girl in question only blinked, then glared at him, shutting her iPad.

“Don’t bring me—“

“Hm,” The man looked thoughtful, “That’s actually a good idea, you can all introduce yourselves.”

“But—“ She spoke up again, but her father gave her a hard look.

“You’re not spending your free time locked up in your room, Elizabeth. I want you to at least make some friends.”

“But father—“ She tried again.

“I won’t have another incident like the one before. That’s why we’re here to begin with.”

“It wasn’t Liz’s fault, it was Alice’s fault!” Damien cried out.

“No, it was all three of you.” The man’s voice sounded like a low rumble, and the three of them finally looked alert without a sound coming from them. “Damien, look after Alice, and Elizabeth, stay with them.”

They all looked demure all of a sudden, though Damien was more annoyed than anything, all of them mumbling, “Yes dad/father,” after a moment.

It wasn’t long until the van had parked at the one house on the street with a FOR SALE/SOLD sign, another moving van was in the parking lot, movers loading the houses with boxes. Alice clambered out of the van quickly but Damien was faster, managing to grab her wrist before the girl could run off. She didn’t like having a babysitter, at all, moping as she leaned forward, trying to pull him along as she wanted to head to the battling children.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” She begged.

“Wait for Liz.” He hissed out, looking towards the other side of the van. The silent girl had exited out her end, walking around the van and stopping before her siblings. The twins looked completely different though identical, Alice having a braid, one blue eye and one green eye as opposed to two green eyes while Elizabeth’s hair was shoulder-length, the girl wearing glasses. Their brother, on the other hand, looked completely different from the two of them with his black hair and red eyes.

Alice was practically leaning forward so much that the only thing keeping her from falling over was Damien’s grip on her wrist. He eyed his sister, a cruel thought passing through his head before he killed it, as his father was still within earshot. He groaned instead, allowing Alice to lead him finally, looking back to see Elizabeth reading her tablet without a word.

“Can you at least help me?” He questioned, in a tone of voice which proved which of the twins he liked more.

“No.” Elizabeth said, keeping her hands on the tablet. The further down the street the trio went the more Elizabeth was becoming tense. Alice was either oblivious or didn’t care, leading them to a couple of boys fighting on the sidewalk.

“You will feel my wrath you stinky human!” The boy with the taped on elven ears held a sword threateningly above a young boy in teal robes. The boy on the ground looked afraid, until he noticed the three children behind the elven boy, and he pointed.

“Ha-ha jokes on you, my backup has arrived!” He said quickly, and when the other boy finally turned his head he brought out his hammer and clubbed him by surprise. The boy fell back in shock, starting to cry right in front of the three of them.

Elizabeth was the only one who wasn’t looking, more tense than five seconds ago. Alice grinned widely, watching as the ‘elf’ kid scrambled to his feet and ran off.

The blonde boy in the teal robes smiled widely, catching Alice’s eyes for a brief second. There was a moment where a flash of memory hit him, but it vanished as soon as it came. He blushed after that, wondering what the hell was that about before holding out his hand. “You really helped me there.”

Alice had the same flash of memory, but she had ignored it completely, her interest was more on the boy and the hammer he was holding. “What’re you playing?”

“What are we playing?” Butters repeated, quirking a brow, “We’re not playing anything, we’re in a war with the dirty drow elves!” He made a disgusted face for a moment, looking behind them to the moving van at the recently-vacant house. “You must be the new kid!” His attention went to Damien specifically. “Great, the King has been expecting you!”

Damien didn’t look amused or interested, rather, he looked annoyed and bored. He had better things to do than to placate his sister. “Don’t look at me, she’s the one who’s interested.” He pointed to the girl in front of him.

“The King!” Alice gasped.

“The Grand Wizard won’t be expecting a couple of ladies but I’m sure we can figure something out.” Butters looked unsure, because it was one of the hard rule that his friend had. _No girls allowed._ He fretted, his eyes lingering on Alice before he tore them away and led them down the street. “I’ve been told to retrieve you, but before I could make the journey to your land I was confronted by a drow elf.” He explained, “You’re actually saving me the journey by coming here.”

Alice looked around, noting the other children fighting a block away. “What is this land that we’re in?” She was more into this pretend game than either Damien or Elizabeth.

“Why uh, we’re in Kupa Keep m’lady!” Butters announced, everyone unaware of Elizabeth’s head perking up in alert to the name as her eyes flashed in recognition. “Oh!” He stopped and turned, “I didn’t introduce myself yet! I am Butters, the King’s Paladin.”

Alice grinned widely, thinking fast, “Well, you may call me… Alice, I am the prince of the Xuzia kingdom!”

At the mention of Xuzia Elizabeth’s head shot up from her tablet, the girl glaring at her as she blushed in embarrassment.

Butters looked blindsided. Prince? Wait, she’s a boy? What was the Xuzia Kingdom? “Oh—oh—a prince! I didn’t expect to run into royalty, the King will be…” Super pissed? He thought so. He decided not to finish the sentence and led them into the Cartman home, Alice kept her grin, following him while Damien and Elizabeth were forced to tag along.

“I’d like to get this done and over with so we can go home.” Damien said then, and Alice turned her head and put a finger to her lips, shushing him. Elizabeth still said nothing, keeping her glare.

When they reached the back yard it looked like a homemade kingdom, there was a large cardboard castle in the background, setting the scene for the land. To the right was a brunette knight with weapons, an armory, and to the right was another knight tending to the one cat, which was the stables. There were no one at the castle, until Butters called for attention and a girl walked out. Well…what Alice thought to be a girl. Her hair and dress sure told her. The blonde curled her hair around her finger, her eyes lingering on the three outsiders, mainly the first girl with the braid. Their eyes met, and suddenly a flash of memory passed them. Recollection passed Princess Kenny’s face and her eyes widened, and instead of ignoring it this time, Alice was blushing.

Behind Princess Kenny came a larger boy, one in a red robe and a blue wizard’s hat. He instantly looked angry, seeing that there were two girls with the boy that entered. “What are _they_ doing here?” He barked out. “This is boys only!”

Butters felt nervousness thunder through him and he gestured to the trio. “These are royal guests from the Xuzia Kingdom, my King!”

Eric’s face twisted, “What the FUCK is Xuzia—“

Alice hopped down from the porch and approached him. “My King, it’s an honor, I am Alice, second prince of the Xuzian throne. With me are my siblings, Prince Damien and Princess Elizabeth. We were sent here by the Great Satyr.”

The longer Alice explained the more Cartman looked confused, becoming even more pissed off. He folded his arms, glaring at the girl. “You’re a girl, you can’t be a prince—OW!” Eric shouted suddenly, holding his arm and looking at Princess Kenny. She said something, but it was muffled, glaring at the larger boy and putting emphasis on a muffled word. He rolled his eyes because of it and turned back, “Okay fine, sure, you’re a boy.” He said in defeat, “But what the fuck is the kingdom of Xuzia?”

Alice giggled, and Princess Kenny found that she quite liked that giggle. “The Kingdom of Xuzia is a kingdom settled in the desert, the desert is a treacherous one to get through, and only our kind can go through without harm. We are adjusted to the heat unlike your kind.” She began, going over to Elizabeth to snatch her tablet before the other girl could yank it away.

“Alice!” Elizabeth hissed.

Alice ignored it, tapping some apps until she found what she wanted. “The people who live in Xuzia are assassins for hire, and those who live outside the kingdom don’t trust us for what we can do. We are contracted by other people to kill whoever they hire us for. The one who rules over the kingdom is the Great Satyr and the Crown Princess is our High Priestess, who speaks to the Goddess and blesses our kingdom.”

Elizabeth stormed over to Alice and took her tablet back, glaring at her and then at Eric. Their eyes met for a moment, and a flash of memory passed through the two of them so hard that it made Elizabeth’s knees weak. She stared at him with wide, disbelieving eyes and he looked utterly shocked. As soon as it came, however, it had left, and Elizabeth was now staring down at the snow.

“Assassins you say?” Eric’s voice wasn’t as hostile before, the same memory passing through him as he did his best to ignore it. “Hired at any price, why, we could use some assassins in Kupa Keep.”

To Damien’’s surprise, it was Elizabeth that began to talk.

“The land of Xuzia doesn’t align with anyone, which is the beliefs of the blood elves.” She mumbled quietly.

Eric halted suddenly, “Blood elv—BLOOD ELVES?” He scowled, staring at all of them. “I already am up to my eyeballs with the drow elves and suddenly you bring more of them to the party? Hell no!”

She rose her head and glared at him, the glare was so striking that Eric remembered what he had seen and he looked away, mumbling something to himself.

“Butters, fetch the High Jew Elf and tell him it’s a time-out. We need to talk about this fucking thing.”

Damien watched the blonde boy hurry off back into the house and he glared at Alice, “What did you get us roped into?” He shouted.

Alice ignored him, smiling at Eric. “This is gonna be fun.”

Eric coughed, agitated at the smile she gave him. “We will send word the next morrow whether or not you can interfere. Till then, get the fuck out of Kupa Keep!”

Alice nodded, but instead of going back to her brother, she went forward, over to Princess Kenny and kneeling down, moving her hand to take the other’s and kissing the top. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lady.” She said with a grin, and Princess Kenny blushed, pulling her hand back and putting it to her chest.

_“I’m at your service, princess.”_

“And you my good sir.” Her words came out muffled, but Alice could hear them clearly, turning away then and heading back to her other siblings, who looked ready to leave.

“Till morrow!” Alice waved at them once more before Damien grasped her wrist and yanked her back into the house.

“I can’t believe you roped us into this little stupid game.” Damien said harshly, storming to the door so he can lead her home. “And what do you mean “Crown Princess”? I’m the oldest, I should be the first in line!”

Alice grinned again, seeing Elizabeth blush and hugging her tablet to her chest, “Liz wrote it so she was the crown princess, she’s daddy’s favorite.” Her voice was teasing.

Damien turned to glare at Elizabeth, but he couldn’t hold it for long. “I’m afraid of what’s going to happen tomorrow.” He sighed.

“Well hopefully we can play with the others.” Alice said positively, “I think I pitched a good idea.”

“We don’t even know what they’re playing!”

“It’s obvious, Butters was a Paladin, there was a Princess and a Wizard King. It’s like Liz’s story, so we fit in perfectly.”

Elizabeth blushed, “No one is supposed to know the story yet.” She sounded angry.

“You don’t even know how to continue the story.” Alice reasoned, “With my help maybe this game will make a better one. Who knows.”

The girl sniffed, looking back down at her tablet. “Why am I being forced to play?”

“Because it’s all of us or nothing at all.” Alice said. “Dad wants you to learn how to talk to people.”

“Father also wants _you_ to stay out of trouble.” Damien told her.

“So Damien is forced into this no matter what!” She finished, “If we’re allowed to play then I don’t think it’ll be a bad thing. We can make friends and have an adventure!”

The two of them didn’t reply, until Elizabeth thought about the memory she had. “Did anyone else remember something weird when we were talking to them?” She asked quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“It…felt like another life, one we had already lived.” She explained, looking unsure of herself. “I felt like I knew them already.”

Alice kept quiet, but she also felt it too, when talking to Butters and the Princess. “Yeah, me too.”

Damien rolled his eyes, the three of them finally stepping up to their house. “Just go inside and don’t break anything.” He shoved Alice in first, and she replied with another giggle.

Elizabeth was the last one to enter the house, lingering at the door and turning back to stare down the street. She could hear faint sounds of whispers floating with the wind, but after a moment the whispers died away and she turned her head and went inside the house.

* * *

As the three siblings decided to settle into their new house, four houses down there was a commotion, kids from both factions were inside Eric Cartman’s house, surrounding the kitchen table at the first time-out of the game.

“I thought you said no girls.”

“Kenny’s a girl.”

“No, Kenny’s _playing_ a girl. It’s a huge difference! The one playing a boy doesn’t have balls!” Eric argued. “And this whole Xuzia thing? She sounded nuts!”

Kyle was the only one of them who wasn’t talking yet, the name Xuzia ringing some familiarity to him but he didn’t understand why. “Well I don’t think we should discriminate.” He said finally, “If a girl wants to play then we should let her.”

“Yeah normally the girls don’t want to play anything remotely cool.” Stan supplied, “They’re mostly playing dolls or talking about boys.”

“This girl really wanted to be a prince!” Butters said happily, though backtracking, “No, she really is a prince!”

“I want them to play.” Kenny’s muffled voice spoke up, some select few friends understood the words.

“So their kingdom is Xuzia, and it’s in the desert.” Kyle felt a cold chill down his spine, the land sounded too familiar. He looked along the drawn map of Zaron and picked up a crayon, drawing a country below Kupa Keep and Larnion. “It’s right here.”

“Why is it there?” Butters asked.

“Because deserts are south.” Token supplied for him, “It makes no sense for the desert to be up north.”

“Canadia is up there.” Stan also started to feel a recollection to what they were talking about, tapping his finger on the map. “There’s a forest that is between the desert and Larnion.” He didn’t know why he knew that.

Kyle drew the forest, “There’s an ocean below Xuzia.” He drew that in too.

“Dude.” Even Eric was starting to feel the familiarity. “She said the kingdom is full of assassins.”

“Assassins for hire, that’s why they’re not aligned with anyone.” Butters said, scratching his head while everyone thought. “Uh…we’re not supposed to trust em.”

“Because you don’t know if they killed your parents or not.” Stan said suddenly, pausing in shock, “Huh—“ Now he felt confused.

“This is actually a great idea!” Scott Malkinson said though his lisp. “The regular old Zaron was getting boring anyway.”

“Ay!”

“Well it was.” Tweek’s eyes went to the map, “Nnngh does anyone feel like Zaron was an actual place before or is it just me and I’m having an out of body experience?”

“No, it’s not you.” Craig patted Tweek’s back, “It seemed like something was missing.”

“These new kids, they’re not infected with some kind of nuclear virus or anything are they?” Tweek’s voice went up a pitch, “We could be -ah- suffering from some kind of radiation poisoning!”

“It’s…” Kyle felt a loss for words, shaking his head. “It’s not that.”

“I dunno Kyle,” Butters looked worried, “These weird memories only started when I just met them.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” Stan said dismissively, but even Eric didn’t say anything, still remembering the small snippet of memory.

_“You’re nothing but a fraud!”_

The boys began to talk again, but this time the main five didn’t say anything, the voices becoming white noise as they stared at the new improved map of Zaron.

A spark of recollection hit though all of them, and Kyle looked up. He could hear whispers, despite how loud the room was currently. After a moment of listening, the whispers had gone away, and Stan was in front of him when he came back to reality. “Huh?”

“Dude, you spaced out.” Stan had told him, “Are you good?”

Kyle nodded, “Of course I am.” He smiled, despite the whispers telling him otherwise.

* * *

Alice found the costumes in the old Halloween box that was placed into the basement, where she had decided to move her room to. They were perfect for the role-play game, in her opinion. It was weird that they still had them. Though, since their last Halloween was in the desert, the costumes had to be tailored to fit the weather of Colorado.

She had a mask over her face, something that looked like it was made of wood but wasn’t entirely. Leather-looking pants and a skin-colored tank top that mimicked a shirtless chest. Fake tattoos were decorating her arms and over her back was a bow and arrow. She managed to convince her sister to wear the Queen costume that she wore the year before, the linen-like garments and the faux-gold cuffs on her arms and wrists, as well as the faux-gold tiara around her forehead. For Damien, who had refused to dress up for the occasion, he remained in his black outfit, though complete with a black crown that he begrudgingly agreed upon at Elizabeth’s behest.

“We’re like the story.” Alice said in the mirror. “I’m the alchemist and you’re the high priestess and you…” She stopped at Damien, “What’re you again?”

“ _I don’t care_.” Damien muttered just as Elizabeth replied, the girl looking along her tablet, when she looked up and into the mirror she felt a cold chill go down her spine. In fact, all three of them felt the chill, and they fell quiet for a moment.

A faint whisper met Elizabeth’s ears, but it fluttered away before she could listen.

“This is getting weird.” Damien mumbled, because since they met the other children, he had gotten a strange dream the following night. He and the fat wizard speaking in secret, making a pact, an exchange. A stick… _the_ Stick…

_“I have the perfect moment for you to act, all I need for you is to take him out.”_

_“A wedding party? That’s too easy. It’ll be in the wine.”_

_“Perfect.”_

He blinked, coming out of the memory. He looked over to Elizabeth in his reflection, feeling something familiar. She also looked bothered, but he knew she wouldn’t express her feelings. Alice, however, looked energized, almost excited.

The three of them jumped slightly when there was a knock at the door, and Alice was the first to run downstairs to answer it. Their father was working at the moment, having put Elizabeth in charge (as always). Alice peeked through the window and saw someone in teal fleeing the yard, heading back down the street. She grinned, going to the door and opening it, looking down at an envelope.

Alice picked it up, reading how it said “The Kingdom of Xuzia” on the front in red crayon. When she shut the door and turned around Damien and Elizabeth were there with her, curious as to what it was. She paid them no mind, opening the envelope and taking out a card.

_The Kingdoms of Kupa Keep and Larnion invite the Princess and the Princes of_ ~~_Zuxzia_ _Zuzia_ _Xucia_~~ _Xuzia Kingdom for a meeting between the factions, to take place at the High Jew Elf King’s house._

With the message was a color map of where the Elf King’s house was.

Elizabeth read it before looking back at her tablet, shivering again as a weird feeling went down her spine. This kingdom she had created kept sounding more and more real now than when she dreamt about it, and now…

Again, she could hear whispers.

“Let’s go!” Alice grasped Elizabeth’s wrist and hurried out the door, Damien keeping a close distance. He still didn’t look like he wanted to be there, with the ever-present resting bitch face, but he didn’t say anything. The trio made their trek through the “desert” and into the land of Larnion, finding the Jew Elf King’s house. The person who met them at the door was a raven-haired boy with a red poofball hat and a green cape, his eyes meeting Alice’s. The memory that suddenly hit him went off like a flash, and his eyes widened, the boy stumbling back before saving himself. “C-come in.” When he tried to think about the memory he had seen, it had disappeared quickly, leaving him dazed and confused. After they entered he shut the door. “My King!” He called.

Elizabeth’s eyes were still on her tablet, but at the call for his king, her eyes went to see the ginger child with a red robe and a crown of branches around his green ushanka step into the room. Whispers erupted from around her, surrounding the both of them. He seemed to hear them as well, the whispers directing their eyes to find each other’s. The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like centuries, more than a flash of memory passing through them, but several images. The whispers became louder for the two of them, someone’s voice was being drowned out.

“Kyle?”

“Liz?”

_“The Goddess really did send you to me...”_

“KYLE!”

The whispers vanished quickly, leaving the two of them dazed. Elizabeth finally realized that Damien and Alice were staring at her funny, while Stan had been trying to get Kyle’s attention.

“Ah…” She shut her mouth before any more sound could come out, putting her attention back to her tablet.

Kyle couldn’t remember what he had seen, but he knew it was important. His eyes were still lingering on Elizabeth, and he felt some strange gravitational pull towards her. “Greetings. I’m Kyle, the High Jew.”

Damien snorted in amusement at the title, and Alice elbowed him in the side. Kyle tore his eyes away from Elizabeth to assess Damien’s and suddenly felt a piercing chill crawl down his body like a flurry of spiders. Looking at his eyes made him feel unlike he did before, and he tore them away quickly to keep himself from feeling…fear? It seemed like fear…apprehension? Damien’s presence made him jumpy.

“Where’s the fat king?” Damien then asked, and Kyle had to keep himself from shuddering at the other’s voice. “The invite said both Kupa Keep and Larnion.”

“Cartman’s taking a shit.” Stan said without a beat, and Kyle slapped his arm. Though, as if on cue, Princess Kenny and Butters had entered from the room Kyle had arrived from earlier.

“Welcome!” Butters greeted. “I guess everyone’s here.”

Princess Kenny practically pushed past Butters to head directly to Alice, taking the other’s hands. “I had a weird dream about you and I liked it.” Her words were still muffled by the hood over her mouth, but Alice could clearly understand her. She smiled at the other, her eyes catching the Princess’s again.

“Emerald and sapphires.” Came the muffled gasp.

“Aquamarines.” Alice replied without skipping a beat, suddenly wondering where that came from.

Kyle cleared his throat, “Well, let’s begin.” He ushered them into the kitchen, and through that towards the back yard, where a large table sat. Sitting there were other boys, a blonde barbarian, a raven-haired thief, and a few others. “We’ve gotten wind of your travels through King Fatass—“

“AY!” Came the boy himself, hurrying over. “I fuckin’ left a bomber there in the bathroom for ya, Jewcake.”

Kyle glared over at Eric, deciding not to answer what he just said and continuing, “As I was saying, this Xuzia Kingdom seems to be an undiscovered land that we haven’t heard about until you arrived.”

“It’s all my sister’s idea.” She pointed at Elizabeth, “She saw it in a dream.”

Tweek let out some kind of a strangled noise, because last night he too had a dream that wasn’t like any of the others, “It’s the radiation, it has to be.” He said to himself before drinking some coffee.

Elizabeth’s head shot up from her tablet and she glared over at Alice, not saying anything. Being here made her nervous.

Kyle’s eyes lingered for a moment before he tore them away, blushing slightly. “Well, we’ve all come to a decision, and we’ve decided to include the country into our game. There’s a little bit of details that we need to settle first. What else of the country do you have?”

Alice darted over to Elizabeth to take her tablet, hurrying over to Damien’s other side as Elizabeth was on his right. “Economy… Xuzia has gold mines and we get other things from ships that come into port that we trade with our gold. Diet… Xuzians are pescatarians, we feed from the ocean’s fish and cactus fruits.”

Kyle nodded, writing this down. “Butters mentioned something about a High Priestess.”

“That’s Liz.”

Kyle stopped for a moment but then continued, remembering something familiar, “You…talk to the Goddess.” He said then.

Elizabeth went still for a moment, “Y…yes.” How did he know about the Goddess?

“Who’s the fucking Goddess?” Eric made a face, “This better not be some new age hippy religion.”

“Shut up, asshole!” Tweek nearly shouted.

Clyde was grinning, “This is sweet, Zaron never had a homemade religion before.”

Elizabeth stepped over to Alice and managed to get her tablet back. She was stuck on Kyle mentioning Zaron, because that was in her dream, that was the world… if she thought harder, then so were Kupa Keep and Larnion. The wave of recollection washed through her and she shook her head, trying not to get dizzy over it. The whispers came back, only gently, as if urging her to explain. “It…it’s very detailed.” She told them, looking over at them shyly. “If you want to listen.”

Eric was about to make a snide comment but stopped himself early, groaning after a moment of thought and rolling his eyes. “Can’t wait to hear this bullshit.” He finally sat down, putting his chin in his hand.

Alice smiled and sat with Princess Kenny.

Elizabeth scrolled through her notes, choosing the certain one and opening it. After a moment of silence she proceeded to speak, the nerves gently leaving her.

“Before Zaron there lived four goddesses. Urasis, the goddess of the Sky. Saline, the goddess of the Moon. Soleil, the goddess of the Sun. Thamera, goddess of the Earth. The Goddesses were sisters, beautiful ethereal divinities that created what we know today.” She paused to look at them, seeing that they were listening intently, “The Goddesses were happy, all but Thamera. Thamera wished for something more, as she was lonely. To placate her loneliness Thamera created mortals from clay, creating two of every race. Two Humans, two Orcs, two Drow. She pleaded Urasis to give them life, and her sister breathed life into the mortals to make Thamera happy. Thamera placed them all onto her land, putting the Humans into the grasslands, giving the Drow the forests, and placing the Orcs into the mountains. Soleil provided the mortals light while Saline gave the mortals darkness, and Thamera provided her mortals with animals and plants for them to survive.

“Thamera watched over those she created, curious of how little beings of life could evolve so much. From the two she created from clay, thousands were born. Her lands flourished and kingdoms were made. They proceeded to amaze her, but none amazed her more than the Drow. She favored them so much that she gifted them with the magic of the Earth. Because of that, the Humans and the Orcs grew jealous. They wanted to be gifted with magic as well. The Orcs, however, prayed to the twins Soleil and Saline, for their magic. The Humans prayed to Urasis. Soleil and Saline were amused by the Orcs, gifting them with invincibility, they would never die until their life was finished. Urasis gifted the Humans with ever-changing magic to best her twin sisters, allowing them to choose which type of magic they wished to use.”

“Though the magic only caused strife among the races, and the Orcs warred with the Humans. The Humans warred with the Drow. They were jealous and petty, using their magic for evil intent. The Goddesses watched on with wonder, seeing how much destruction that their people could create, however Thamera only became saddened by the strife. Some say the great rains were Thamera’s tears, as she cried for those who died. To punish them, she threw the lands into a never-ending winter and abandoned them all.

“Thamera wasn’t happy anymore, and she fled to her temple in the desert. It was a massive temple made of sandstone, created to house all four of the Goddesses. The desert was sacred ground, a place no mortal stepped foot inside, as mortals could not survive the desert’s harsh winds and scorching heat. It was a land that no one could master.

“That was when Thamera discovered a mortal that had taken refuge in the desert. He was a Drow King, displaced from the strife among his people and the humans. Thamera watched over him, how he managed to adapt to the desert and hunt down the snakes for food while drinking the juice from the cactus plants. Thamera was so impressed that she created an oasis for the Drow King, taking the form of a mortal to watch over him. She fell in love with the King and his strength, revealing herself to him. The Drow King was enchanted with her beauty and voice, falling for her at first sight and requesting her to bear his children. She provided him with many children, staying young as he aged and mourning him when he finally died. Heartbroken, she cried for one-thousand days and one-thousand nights, her tears creating the ocean. After that, she had sliced off her left hand, creating the goddess Theone and sending her into the ocean, when she sliced off her right hand she had created Thearis, who she sent into the forests to look after the Drow. Her children grew up in the desert, where they’re known today as the Blood Elves, mortals created from the goddess and her love of the Drow.”

“And is that why they’re coming over here?” Kyle frowned at his mother, the Queen, as she closed the thick tome.

“Yes bubbeh, and you best be on your good behavior for the Great Satyr, this meeting between all of the kingdoms doesn’t happen that often, and this is the first time he has ever accepted our invitation. I don’t want anything bad to happen.”

“Is that why Stan can’t come?”

“Stanley has his own reasons for not seeing the blood elves, dearie.”

Kyle didn’t like the fact that his best friend was going to be somewhere else when he was being forced to meet with the blood elves. He heard about them already from Stan. They were all assassins for hire and were trained at a young age to kill just about anyone. Stan didn’t like the blood elves at all, and because of that Kyle had sort of a slanted outlook on them in general.

“Ma?” He asked then, looking at her. “If blood elves are unaligned then why are they coming to Larnion?”

Queen Sheila smiled at him, “We’re hoping to impress the Great Satyr so well that he changes his mind about that. I only have to remind him that his Goddess has chosen to favor the drow above all others.”

Kyle didn’t understand what good it would do if the blood elves were to align with them, but according to his mother it was important. He wasn’t looking forward to the meeting, which was in two days time. Everyone were going to be there. Representatives from the Kingdom of Canadia, Kupa Keep, Xuzia, all meeting peacefully in the halls of Larnion’s palace in order to discuss future endeavors. But even if they were all meeting peacefully, no one trusted to leave the relic out in the open for anyone to grab. It was hidden somewhere where no one could ever find it, only the King and Queen knew where it lay.

“Everyone is currently on their way to Larnion,” Queen Sheila had told him, staring out the window onto the kingdom below. “It’s only a guess as to who will arrive first.”

Kyle sighed, excusing himself so he could go find Stan.


	2. Chapter 2

The first to arrive was a large carriage pulled by mustangs. Kyle was forced to stand at the steps to the palace as the visitors made their appearance. He glanced at his little brother, only three but he looked wide-eyed at the large figure that emerged from the carriage. He was red, thick arms and waist, with goat legs and horns protruding from his head. He was adorned in leather and gold, and so were the three children that emerged from the carriage with him.

Kyle had never seen a blood elf before, only hearing about them told him enough. He never thought they looked like _them_ , he imagined more frightening beings with glowing eyes and evil grins. What he was looking at were bronze-skinned elves with dark hair and black markings.

His eyes fell onto one of the children, a girl. Her hair was to her shoulders and she was dressed in leather and linens, her forehead, arms, and ankles adorned with gold. She didn’t wear shoes (they all didn’t wear shoes!) but when he got to her eyes he seemed stunned. He expected something more frightening, but what he got were emeralds. Their eyes met and he began to hear something, a whisper.

The two of them stared at each other for a length of time, the girl hearing whispers as well, the whispers surrounding them like translucent butterflies and speaking about the present, the future, that you should pay attention to him, that he would need your help. Only the girl understood them.

Kyle stared at her for so long that he didn’t notice his mother shaking his shoulder, “Kyle, bubbeh.” With her voice, so went the whispers, and Kyle was back, looking at his mother as she smiled down at him. “Go meet the princess and the princes.” She told him before leaving his side, as them and the Great Satyr began to chat.

Kyle swallowed the growing lump in his throat, stepping down the steps to meet the children halfway. One of the boys looked on with wide-eyed wonder while another looked unhappy to be there. Kyle found the second one amusing. The princess, however, looked shy, as if she didn’t know what to do, but her eyes continued to linger on him with curiosity.

“Welcome to Larnion.” Kyle spoke up, bowing. “I’m Prince Kyle.”

The first boy grinned, holding his hand out. Kyle only looked down at it before the boy took the other’s hand to shake it. “I’m Alice, the second Prince of Xuzia.” His eyes were two different colors, green and blue. Emerald and sapphire.

The second boy didn’t bother to touch Kyle’s hand, not bowing either. “Prince Damien.” He said shortly, glaring at his sister. His eyes were red. Rubies.

The girl didn’t speak right away, almost looking constipated as she tried not to do something. Kyle only watched on in confusion, looking at Damien. “What is she doing?”

“She’s trying not to hit you.” He said simply, “it’s a habit.”

The girl clearly looked uncomfortable, glaring at Damien and folding her arms, before unfolding them and putting them at her sides, then moving them to the front. She bowed quickly and mumbled something, _Elizabeth_ , blushing.

Kyle found her fidgeting almost humorous, realizing that he wasn’t the most nervous of the four of them. He reached over and took her hand, raising it to his lips and giving her hand a kiss, as he was taught. Though, as soon as he did that the girl yanked her hand away and smacked him, making the boy stumble back and feel his throbbing cheek. “Yeeouch!” He glared back at the girl, before stopping.

Elizabeth was holding the offending hand to her chest, blushing even harder and glaring at him heatedly. He could see a fire burning inside those emerald eyes.

The whispers came back.

“I’m starving.” Alice’s voice broke the tension that was growing, the boy moving to his sister and taking her hand to drag her further into the castle. Damien only grinned, snickering at the fact that Kyle got smacked and following after them.

Kyle decided that he didn’t like her, and turned to follow them.

* * *

The second day is when the Canadians came, the twin Kings, Terrance and Phillip, who simultaneously farted once they met with Queen Sheila and King Gerald. The two royals managed to hide their cringes and Kyle and Ike only started to laugh, enjoying these guests already.

* * *

The third day, however, the representatives of Kupa Keep had finally arrived. Though, with the King, who Kyle didn’t pay much attention to, was the prince, a round brunette with a nasty scowl on his face. He looked at everything as if it offended him, his last glare was directed at Kyle, the boy taking in the other’s appearance, mainly his pointy ears.

“Motherfucking Urasis why have you brought me here?” The human boy cursed under his breath, before the king smacked him upside the head for taking the Goddess in vain.

“Quiet, I won’t have you ruin my chances at an alliance.” The King hissed at him.

“But daaaaaaad.” The boy whined, “They’re a bunch of dirty filthy elve—AY!” He was smacked again.

“I should have left you at home.” The man mumbled to himself, heading up the steps to meet with the King and Queen.

Kyle didn’t even chance a greeting to the other, already having heard his racist rhetoric. He glared at the boy, who glared back at him.

“Dirty elf.” He said loud enough just so Kyle could hear him.

“Eric!” The King shouted.

“Coming!” Eric’s tone suddenly became sweet, and he went to follow his father inside.

Kyle turned to watch, sighing. The only people he liked so far were the Twin Kings from Canadia.

It wasn’t long until he heard a sound of struggling behind him, and Kyle blinked, turning back around to find a girl around the same age as he trying to drag a bag up the steps. It seemed to be heavier than she could lift, and he frowned, heading down to try and help her. “Hey you know we have people who can do that for you.” He said then.

The girl stopped, brushing her blonde hair back. She was only in what looked like to be a maid’s outfit, her blonde hair looking nearly dull. Her light blue eyes, however, sparkled. “So I can leave these here?”

Kyle smiled. “Yeah.”

Just like that the girl dropped everything, and Kyle watched as a ham escaped one of the bags, rolling down the steps. They both just watched before breaking out into a laugh. Kyle smiled, “So, I wasn’t told that Prince Fatass had a sister.”

The girl looked down, directing Kyle to her nearly ragged clothing. “Would a sister look this depressing?” She asked, “I’m Prince Fatass’s personal servant.” She didn’t look all that happy about it.

Kyle frowned, “I feel so sorry for you.” He said honestly, “Well, Larnion runs differently than Kupa Keep, you’re a guest here, so I’ll ask Ma if she could give you a room too.”

The girl looked stunned, “I won’t have to sleep on straw for once?”

That had Kyle taken aback, just how did they treat their servants? They didn’t even have servants, just hired help, who got _paid_. “Yeah, you’re getting a bed.” He decided then, like it was a rule. “Come on.” He held out his hand after that, and the girl took it. “What’s your name?”

“Kenny.”

Kyle smiled, “Get ready for a horrible holiday, Kenny.”

* * *

It was during supper that Prince Eric had finally saw what his father was intending to do. The man’s plan was to win over the Great Satyr’s affections so he could get an alliance between the humans and the blood elves. With a look to King Gerald and Queen Sheila, it seemed like it was their goal too. His eyes looked away from the satyr and onto the princes, finding that they looked like any other elf, only darker-skinned. He rolled his eyes, why would dad want to taint himself with elves? He thought sourly, before his eyes fell onto the princess.

The princess was minding her own business while the adults were discussing politics, silently eating her food. Her eyes raised when she soon realized she was being stared at, finding the offending chocolate eyes of the spoilt human boy that she had heard about. The whispers came back to her, all of them warning her of the past, the present, the future. Do not trust him, he isn’t to be trusted, he will deceive you.

Eric’s heart began to pound and he didn’t know why, a sudden wave of nerves hitting him and he looked away from those emerald eyes. He took the goblet full of juice and drank about two gulps in quick succession, making a face at how tart it was. When he took a moment to himself he chanced a look back at the princess, and if he ignored her ears just long enough he decided she was decently attractive. Suddenly, a treaty with the blood elves didn’t sound that bad, especially if it ended with an arraigned marriage.

Kyle could see how Elizabeth looked bothered when she discovered that Eric was staring at her, averting her eyes quickly as if she didn’t want to look at him anymore. He snorted in amusement, looking over at Alice. “Your sister doesn’t talk much.”

Alice looked up at his sister before smiling at Kyle, “This is our first time out of the kingdom, she’s kinda nervous.”

“Is that why she slapped me?” Kyle asked blandly, still annoyed by that.

The grin on the prince’s face was foretelling, “She resorts to violence when she doesn’t understand her feelings.”

Kyle looked confused, and Alice decided to elaborate, “She doesn’t react well to _boys_.” He whispered.

The prince blinked, looking back at Elizabeth and as if she knew he was watching she looked up at him, blushing furiously before turning away. He could hear Alice chuckle from beside him. On his left, Damien was watching the exchange with a bored, despondent look, his eyes flickering from Eric to Elizabeth to Kyle. His mind began to wonder things, looking at his father and to the other royals. Even though they were at the palace in Larnion it was his own father that was getting most of the attention. He didn’t like it, they wanted to align with the blood elves. The way the two princes were looking at his sister was disgusting, but what offended him even more was how she was reacting to one of them. He knew his sister well, a little too well. He took the goblet of tart juice and drank it, not even wincing at the flavor.

Kenny, the only non-royal child there, ate quietly. She kept to herself, content with eating in the kitchens but at Kyle’s behest she was given a seat at the table. She sat on the other side of Alice, the prince with the emerald and sapphire eyes. It wasn’t her place to say anything or give any attention to herself, she was only a servant after all. She wasn’t important here.

Why would Eric bring her here? Was it to be cruel and throw it in her face that he was the crown prince? It had to be. She knew she didn’t have to come, she could have been content staying behind with Butters. No, Eric demanded that she’d be brought here, like he wanted to show her off and point everyone to the poor girl.

It wasn’t _her_ that was born from the town whore.

She gently took her goblet and went to drink the rest of her juice, not having eaten or drank so good in Urasis knows how long. She didn’t want it to end, because as soon as they returned home, she would be back sleeping on the floor and eating scraps that the boy prince would ‘kindly’ give her.

Kenny stared at the empty cup and sighed, she wanted everything to change.

“Do you want more?” A gentle voice swept her from her thoughts and Kenny looked over. Alice was smiling at her, a charming smile on a handsome boy that she knew she wouldn’t have a chance with. He was a _prince_.

“Please.” She said it so quietly, putting it back down. Alice kept his smile and re-filled her goblet. “Thank you, prince.”

“Call me Alice.” He replied, “I don’t really do the princely titles, it’s not fun.”

She tilted her head curiously, her eyes lingering on his. A whisper fluttered around her, around them both, and her heart began to pound. She gave him a smile.

Alice only grinned in return.

Damien watched as Alice and Kenny had a moment. He didn’t like _that_ , either. He let out a sigh, going back to his meal. His future fell in the hands of his sister, and she had ideas and beliefs that were too progressive. The blood elves had traditions that set their values, and if it weren’t for her, they wouldn’t be here. No, they _shouldn’t_ be here. Blood elves didn’t delegate with outsiders.

But because her sister was the _High Priestess_ (he rolled his eyes) she became the first in line for the crown. She took away his standing just by being able to speak to the _Goddess_. He wasn’t happy about it, and something told him that things would only get worse, because his father was actually considering her ideas.

When the servants entered the room to replace their dinners and messy plates with empty plates with a selection of desserts, Kenny’s eyes went wide at the selections. Everything looked flaky and flavorful, almost fattening if you ate too much…as she watched Eric shovel all that he could onto his plate. She didn’t know what to choose, until someone chose for her.

“Eat this one.” Alice told her, handing her a cream tart. “It’s light but very nice.” On his own plate was a similar tart.

Kenny nodded without a word and took it in her hand, moving to eat it. The cream was fresh and delicious, but some of the cream ended up on her nose. Alice had watched, chuckling at what he saw. “Ah, you have some…” He glanced around to see if anyone was watching before leaning in to kiss the cream off her nose, the boy grinning as he leaned back.

Kenny’s face couldn’t get any pinker, staring at him wide-eyed as her heart decided to drum vibrations through her body. She looked away quickly after that, not wanting to stare too much. She was still a servant, why was he being so nice to her?

Why was anyone being so nice to her?

Alice licked the cream off his lips and resumed to his own dessert, leaving Kenny in a state of shock. It only left her confused and flustered, and every time she looked at him she could hear whispers. She wished she knew what the whispers were saying.

Elizabeth knew she was being stared at by this point, sitting across from the others and knowing the staring was from the boy stuffing his face with dessert treats. She didn’t like that he was staring at her, still hearing the whispers that were warning her of him. She soon had enough, fixing on a glare and returning his stare with a look of loathing. She hoped that it would deter his eyes.

It didn’t.

Eric’s heart continued to pound. If he stared any further he could see flames inside of her eyes, the heat of her glare affecting him in a way nothing had before. He didn’t understand this feeling, it felt like something was fluttering in his stomach, as if he ate a bag of moths and they were trying to get free. Seeing her glare at him with such _hatred_ made her look so…pretty. With that thought, Eric dropped his fork. He looked at his father quickly, wondering if he begged him hard enough that he would try to win favor with the Great Satyr. He really wanted this, all of a sudden, this treaty, this truce. He was doing his best to not make a scene right then and there, in front of everyone.

Kyle noticed the reaction, looking confused but not saying anything. He kept his eyes on the princess, looking away every so often to make it seem like he wasn’t staring. She did look out of her element, did she? It was nearly sad. He looked over at his mother, wondering. Would it help her if he at least tried to be friendly to her? So far the blood elves didn’t seem so scary like Stan had described, hell, even Alice was really nice…though he didn’t know anything about Damien just yet.

Perhaps this holiday wouldn’t be terrible.

* * *

She never had the chance to sleep in an actual bed. At home she shared a hay bale and a blanket with her sister, while in the castle she slept on the floor. Never in her life did Kenny get an opportunity to try the real thing. A large, soft, and pillowy surface for her to sleep on and a warm cozy blanket to keep her warm during the cold night. She was even given a nightgown to sleep in, and pillows! It was like heaven, and for the first time she slept in comfort.

When the sun began to shine through the windows Kenny slowly awoke to the sound of a pan flute. She smiled, turning in the bed and stretching. Was this how royalty was like? You awoke to music? It took her a moment to realize that the light of the sun was blocked by a shadow in the window, and her senses went into alert mode, turning around sharply only to pause. In the window sat Alice, playing calmly on his pan flute. She felt her face grow warm as she watched him, before looking back to the door.

How did he get in?

Alice opened his eyes as he finished his last few notes, pulling the flute away and smiling at her, “Morning.” He greeted.

“M…Morning.” She was at a loss for words, “How did you…”

Alice glanced down the window, “Climbed.” He said simply.

“How long were you…”

“About an hour.”

Kenny stared at him listlessly, “Why?”

The blood elf thought about it, shrugging. “I was exploring.”

_Blood elves are nimble assassins, who can go anywhere and do just about anything…_

She remembered the words, but paid them no mind. No, if Kenny wasn’t who she was, then he would have probably scared her.

But she wasn’t scared.

Alice chuckled, watching as she processed everything. “How was your sleep?”

“Better than what I’m used to.” She replied after a moment, finally getting out of her bed. She needed to get dressed and tend to—

_“We have people that can do that for you.”_

Right. She wasn’t a servant here at this time. Kenny suddenly looked lost, not knowing what she should do. She was used to getting up early to prepare the prince for the day, but now that wasn’t an option.

“Check the wardrobe.” Alice’s voice broke her from her thoughts. Kenny blinked and went over to it, opening the doors to find a lovely purple and white gown. She frowned, wondering where her original maid dress went to. “What—“

“I saw the servants leave it here, along with a pair of shoes. I guess you’re a princess for today.” He smiled widely at that, watching as she turned to look at him. Kenny’s face warmed again at the title.

“But I’m not a—“

Alice got down from the window and perched himself on her bed. “Let’s just pretend.” He said then, in the kindest voice she had ever heard.

Pretend.

Kenny turned back to look at the dress, envisioning herself in it, wearing a crown. “I’m a princess, but then what does that make you?”

Alice grinned, already knowing the question. “I’m your contracted bodyguard.”

She blinked curiously, turning to him again. “I thought all blood elves were…” She let him fill in the blanks, and Alice shook his head.

“Blood elves do more than just kill people.” He said knowingly. “Some are hired for protection, or company…no one really knows those parts, they’re too focused on the killing.”

She nodded, watching him stand up again to walk over to her. “Contracts require money though, I don’t have any.” She then noticed how tall he was compared to her, suddenly feeling short. He had to lean down to meet her eyes.

“Lucky you that I’m doing a sale, one contract at the price of a kiss.”

Kenny blushed, her eyes going wide, but when Alice leaned in he kissed her cheek, giving her that grin of his. They stayed quiet for a moment after that.

“Oh.” Kenny felt her cheek, her heart beating wildly every time she looked at him, mainly his eyes. “Well what do we do now?”

“Get dressed and I’ll take the princess out to explore.” Alice suggested, going to the corner of the room, “Go ahead, I won’t peek.”

Kenny’s face went red, but she went about to hurry and change anyway, keeping an eye on the boy to make sure he kept his promise. By the time she was done she felt different, the dress fit her perfectly, and it felt like silk. She slipped on the shoes, which also fit perfectly. She never expected to ever wear something like this.

“Done yet?” Alice was rocking on his heels, his hands in his pockets.

“Done.” She told him, watching him spin around on his heel. Alice fell quiet, his eyes lingering on her for the longest time, hearing the translucent flutterings of whispers that only his sister could understand. His heartbeat followed before a smile appeared on his face.

“I’m at your service, princess.” He bowed after that, catching Kenny off-guard.

She didn’t know if she’d get used to this.

* * *

The two children managed to sneak past the adults because Alice knew perfectly how to get past people undetected, as per his training. They held in their laughter as they finally found the front doors, tearing out into the hallway and laughing as they ran past the guards on their way out. The two guards at the door only watched on with curious eyes, smiling jovially.

Alice kept hold of Kenny’s hand as they hurried out towards the city beyond the garden. Those that they passed were staring after them curiously. Everyone in the capital city knew of the Great Satyr and his children that were staying at the palace, but no one expected to see one of them wandering the streets. There wasn’t any strong backlash at the sight of the blood elf and his human companion, just merriment as the two children explored the city.

It was in the marketplace where Alice and Kenny found their prize, Kenny’s eyes on the apple vendor up ahead. She looked at Alice, who only grinned smoothly and held up a finger before disappearing into the crowd. She held in her anticipation, watching the vendor haggle with another elven couple while Alice had snuck in behind them and stole two apples before ducking away.

“Hey!” The vendor’s voice boomed and Alice knew he was caught, running as fast as he could to find Kenny, throwing her an apple. She caught it instantly, the two of them laughing while Alice took her free hand. The vendor stopped chasing them halfway, unable to stop from grinning at the sight. He shook his head and went back to his apples, faintly amused.

The two of them ran until they figured no one was following, stopping at a large tree in the middle of the city. Alice grinned and climbed it, helping Kenny up to a branch and sitting with her before they began to eat their apples. Various people either looked their way or didn’t notice at all, but there was one constant - everyone was _friendly_.

“This place is better than Kupa Keep.” Kenny said after swallowing a piece of the apple, accidentally staining her dress with the juice. “Everyone’s so kind and everything’s so clean.”

“What’s it like there?” Alice wondered, not biting into his apple yet. “I’ve never been outside of Xuzia.”

She made a face, “Kupa Keep is…dirty. It smells like pig shit most of the time and people aren’t so kind. The rich humans treat the poor humans like trash and often bully them, we’re forced to take it because the king doesn’t do anything about it.”

He frowned, his eyes lingering on the city full of elves. “That’s not how it works where I’m from. Everyone looks after each other no matter if they have money or don’t, we protect each other because we’re all we have.”

She chewed on another piece thoughtfully, remembering something her father had said, “Do blood elves really kill because they’re greedy for money?”

Alice didn’t look back at her, “We’re only assassins because it’s our tradition, and it’s our only source of money. We use that money to provide for our families, but I don’t like the idea of killing people to get it. When I come of age I refuse to kill anyone, even if it’s my birthright.”

Kenny turned to look at him, “You’re very different from what I expected a blood elf to be, from what I was told.”

“Everything you heard was probably lies. A lot of people make things up…”

It was clear that the topic wasn’t something that Alice wanted to stay with, so Kenny looked away, finishing her apple and thinking about something else, spotting a tattoo on the boy’s wrist and reaching out to touch it. “What does this mean?”

The tattoo was of a pentagram, which looked like it was burned into his skin. Alice’s eyes lingered onto it, then over to her apple core, handing her his uneaten fruit. “It’s the royal symbol. All three of us have them, me, Liz and Damien.”

“Did it hurt?” She asked quietly.

“Yes.” He said it without any inflection in his voice. Kenny winced, realizing that she broached on another hurtful topic. She felt uncomfortable, looking down at the apple in his hand that was being offered. “What about you?” She asked.

“I’m fine.” He gave her a smile, which seemed to strike Kenny differently. It didn’t seem genuine. “Princesses need to eat to grow big and strong.” He said then.

She nodded, dropping the apple core, which was taken by a dog that was hovering around the tree. She began to eat it quietly, letting the ambiance of the busy city fill up the silence.

Alice scanned his eyes along the crowd, spotting a girl with a stall selling flower crowns. He glanced over at Kenny, then at the satchel at his hip. Without a word he dropped himself from the tree, and Kenny looked shocked. Was he going to leave her here? She worried that she offended him somehow. She quickly moved to climb down from the tree, dropping her apple as she did and managing to land on her feet. Her eyes swept through the crowd but she didn’t see him, and her heart began to hurt as panic rose from her chest. “Alice?” She called out.

“Right here.” He appeared right by her side again and Kenny turned to him, a wave of relief washing over her.

“Why did you leave?” She nearly cried out, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Alice looked perplexed, until he saw the tears. He felt a heavy weight in his chest and reached out to wipe them away, the two of them staring at each other for a moment before Alice held up the flower crown.

“I went to get you a crown.” He said calmly with a kind smile, “Every princess needs a crown.” With that said he raised his hand and set it on her, the crown fitting around her head like the real thing. Kenny blushed again, her eyes lingering on him. Her heart still hurt slightly, but it was fading.

“Don’t ever leave without telling me.” She said then, sounding hurt. She didn’t know what she’d do if she was abandoned…again.

Alice finally realized his mistake, taking a moment to study her features, how hurt she was. He closed the distance between them and hugged her tight, feeling her arms curl around his waist.

“I won’t ever leave you.” He said quietly, like it was a promise. Again, Alice could hear a whisper fluttering past him, and he knew Kenny could hear it too.

The two finally parted and Alice took her hands, smiling at her. “Let’s keep exploring.” He said then, pulling her away.

The rest of the day was spent exploring Larnion’s city, the two curious children never leaving each other’s sides. At times they ran across other children, who invited them to play. Alice was given a wooden sword and Kenny was given a staff, and they played until the other children were called away. Eventually the two of them went back to the palace, sneaking into the royal garden where they continued playing, a game of hide and seek. Kenny was the one who hid away the best, but when Alice found her she began running, the two of them running and running until Kenny tripped on her own dress, and Alice tumbled down with her, the two ending up in a muddy ditch. They began to laugh after that, as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

By the time it was sundown they had made it to a tower to watch the sky turn dark and the stars come out. Kenny and Alice were sitting on the edge, feet dangling down but neither afraid to fall. Kenny looked over at Alice, catching his eyes, his differently colored eyes that were visible in the dimming light.

“Do you know your eyes look like emerald and sapphires?” She asked out of the blue, and Alice gave her a grin, looking at her eyes.

“Yours look like aquamarines.” He said in reply, reaching up to adjust her crown so it wasn’t so skewed. Kenny began to blush again, her heart beating wildly. It joined the sudden flutters in her stomach that had been growing at a steady rate throughout the day.

“I don’t want to leave.” She said then, her voice but a whisper.

He found her hand and put his over hers, but his eyes went back to looking at the sky. “I don’t either…but I know we’re going to have to.”

She knew that too, and knowing that made her feel sad. “Will we meet again?”

Alice stayed quiet for a moment, hearing a flurry of whispers pass his ears. Again, he couldn’t understand them.

“If the Goddess wants us to.” He replied, hoping the whispers were telling him just that.


	3. Chapter 3

It was difficult for Kyle, for an entire day he had been trying to look for Elizabeth, only to find that she was nowhere to be found. The prince wandered the corridors of the palace early next morning, as sunrise was the time that everyone had awakened.

“I won’t have you staying inside that room.”

A rumbling boom echoed down the corridor and Kyle nearly jumped, stumbling out into the next one before ducking away, looking towards the voice. The Great Satyr was looming above his child, the princess looking stubborn yet resilient as she stood before the door to her room.

“I can’t.” She told him, sounding desperate. “Father please—“

“I know this is new for you, but you’re the one who had requested me to come here, remember? Yesterday everyone was asking me where you were and I knew you were locked away. I’m having a long discussion with the King and Queen and I would appreciate it if you would try to get _along_ with the princes, at least _talk_ to them?”

Elizabeth made that constipated face again, “They’re _boys_.”

The satyr sighed, “Honey, if I plan to do what I plan to do then you’re going to have to learn how to get along with boys, especially these ones.”

“But—“

“Do you want me to get Damien?”

The mention of her brother had Elizabeth wincing badly, “Fine.” She sounded defeated, folding her arms.

Kyle couldn’t keep down the small laugh that escaped him, and both of the royals turned their heads in his direction. He stopped, freezing. _Shit_.

Elizabeth blushed furiously and looked away, but the satyr nearly looked pleased. “You there, come forward.”

Kyle could have always turned and run away, but he knew if he did that then word would come back to his mother and he’d be in bigger trouble than he was now. Surely spying on a conversation wasn’t something to be punished for, would it? He swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding and heading over to them. The Great Satyr was massive, he realized, a great force of a creature that was rightly feared.

“Prince Kyle, is it?” The man’s voice was like an earthquake. The boy nodded, his crown nearly tilting on his head at the force.

“Y-yes sir.”

“Would you be so kind as to keep my daughter company?” His request sounded like a command, no matter how sweet the satyr’s tone sounded. When Kyle looked over at Elizabeth she looked to be staring at her father desperately, as if pleading otherwise.

_“Do what you can to make them feel at home, bubbeh.”_

Kyle remembered his mother’s words from the day before and inwardly groaned, turning to Elizabeth. “Uh…what do you want to do?” He asked.

“Stay in my room.” She answered his question without a beat, and he felt like today was going to be a long day.

* * *

It was after breakfast that Elizabeth had tried to flee back to her room, but Kyle managed to cut her off before she could. She didn’t like this, she didn’t like any of this. When she first suggested that her father should take the invitation, she didn’t expect to go with him all the way to Larnion. She assumed he would go alone.

The longer she looked at Kyle the more she could hear whispers. Befriend him, don’t be shy, you’re perfectly fine.

Sometimes she didn’t like being able to understand Her. Them. All of them.

“You can’t hide in your room all day.” Kyle soon broke her from her thoughts, “At least try meet me halfway here.” He wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for his mother and her father, because right at the moment she smacked him he already cemented his view of her.

Elizabeth made a face for a split second before looking away. “What am I supposed to do then?” She finally asked, which was more than he heard her say to him the whole time they were there.

He relaxed somewhat, wondering why she was so nervous but then remembering her brother’s words. He was a boy. “Well, what do you like?” He asked, trying to hold the proverbial olive branch.

She thought about it for a moment, because her interests were limited. “Books.” She said then, quietly. “I like to read.”

Kyle pulled on a smile as he got an idea, and without thinking he took her hand, “I know where to go.” He said then, leading the way. Elizabeth tried to yank her hand back but the whispers urged her not to, and she ended up sighing, following him without protest. He led them up a stairwell and into another corridor, to a large room that was filled to the ceiling with thick, old tomes.

Elizabeth’s eyes went wide at the sight, her eyes looking along the entire room as a smile formed on her face. It was bigger than her own library at the palace, nearly twice as many books than they owned. She opened her mouth but no words escaped, and she ran inside to approach a bookshelf, reading along the spines.

This was the first time he’d seen her smile, he realized, in the four days that they had been there. He looked along the library in hopes to see what she was seeing, only to see nothing spectacular. With that he shrugged, only watching as she took her time to look through the books, managing to take one out that was bigger than her head. Kyle’s eyes widened and he hurried over to her, helping her catch it when she was too weak to hold it upright. “Careful!” He managed to lift it, lugging the book over to a table and placing it there. Elizabeth carefully shoved him aside so she could open it. The title of the book was in Elvish, but from the looks of it he could see that she knew the language.

“Blood elves know Elvish too?” So far everyone has been speaking in English, because of the humans from Kupa Keep and Canadia. He watched as Elizabeth nodded, turning a page to peruse the texts.

“We know Orcish too.” She said quietly, almost distracted. The book was on the history of Larnion, something Elizabeth looked interested in. “Do you know the tale of Thamera?” She asked then, without looking at him.

Kyle went quiet in thought, “How she fell in love with the king of the drow?”

The whispers started up again, but this time Elizabeth let them pass, looking back at him. “Your kind is very important to her.”

Kyle listened, also hearing the whispers. He remembered, she was the High Priestess. “You can talk to her?” He was curious.

Elizabeth nodded, hearing the whispers urging her on. “She speaks to everyone, but I’m the only one who understands her words.” She suddenly looked away, back at the book.

Kyle had never met someone who could speak directly to any of the goddesses before. He always perceived them to be wise old people with long white beards, not a ten year old girl that had social issues. “What is she saying now?”

The girl frowned, closing her eyes. It wasn’t that she was trying to listen, it was that she was trying to keep herself together. “She’s telling me to be nice to you.” The words sounded forced.

“Is that what she told you when you slapped me?” He asked sarcastically, catching her glare at him.

“You kissed my hand!” She cried out.

“You still slapped me!” He argued in return, “A kiss on the hand to a lady is considered chivalrous and you slapped me like I hurt you.”

She pursed her lips into a thin line and continued to glare at him, trying not to lash out at him. The whispers kept trying to placate her. Apologize to him. You need him. Be friendly to him. Elizabeth finally looked away, "Sorry." She muttered, “But you should have asked first.”

Kyle liked the apology, but when she added the rest the hope for her redemption was still off the table. She was still an unlikeable girl. “You have problems.” He said then, folding his arms.

I know, she thought irritably, turning her eyes back to the pages.

A half-hour later and Kyle was sitting at the table now, looking bored out of his mind. He couldn’t do this anymore, watching her stay quiet and read, it was almost like she was still in her room, isolated from everyone - only that _he_ was along for the ride. “I think we’re done.” He decided then, standing up.

Elizabeth was halfway into the second part when Kyle shut the book, snapping her out of her concentration. “I’m not done!” She cried out.

“Yes you are.” He told her, taking her wrist again. “We’re going to go somewhere that’s not a comfort zone.”

Elizabeth wanted to protest, or at least smack him again, but the whispers were urging her to behave and allow him to decide. She suddenly wished that the Goddess would mind her own damn business, begrudgingly allowing the boy to lead her somewhere.

Kyle’s intentions were to explore, let her see the palace, perhaps the greenhouse and the fish pond. He idly wondered where Stan was right now, was he hiding in their secret room or was he stalking them through the hidden passageways? He didn’t know which.

“KINNY!” Came a pig-like squeal.

Elizabeth shuddered at the voice and Kyle cringed, both of them turning around to see the round prince coming around the corner, looking agitated. “KINNY WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?” He screamed.

“Can you not shout in the palace? You sound like a pig being slaughtered.” Kyle was the first to speak, his plans becoming diverted.

Eric stopped his search at the sight of the drow prince and the blood elf princess. “There you are!” He hurried over to the two of them, shoving Kyle out of the way to approach Elizabeth. “I was looking for you everywhere!”

Elizabeth’s constipated look had returned to her face, and Kyle caught himself after stumbling.

The fat boy didn’t seem to notice or care. “How about we ditch the elf and go have a talk?” He asked then.

“I’m right here.” Kyle bit out.

“That’s the problem.” Eric glared at him, “Don’t you have other guests to attend to? It’s my turn with the princess.”

“Excuse me? I think it was the Great Satyr that told me to spend time with her.” He argued.

Eric rolled his eyes, “Ph-leeze,” He took Elizabeth’s hand, much to her dismay. “Why would he want _you_ to spend time with her when _I’m_ the better candidate?”

_“If you catch the princess’s favor then you could become the one to marry her. Don’t fuck it up, this is the only reason why you’re here. Let me do the work with the satyr, and you do what you can to get her to like you.”_

The whispers had returned, and Elizabeth only glared harder at him.

Kyle was trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. Better candidate? What the hell did that mean? From the look on Elizabeth’s face she only seemed to dislike him more than she disliked Kyle. What was the Goddess telling her?

Suddenly, an idea popped into Kyle’s head, and he pulled Eric aside. The fat boy sputtered, “The fuck are you—“

Elizabeth watched as Kyle said something to Eric only Eric could hear, quirking a brow. When Eric shoved Kyle away the drow prince only watched on while Eric straightened his robe, approaching her again and kneeling down, taking her hand.

A cold shudder and the feeling of pinpricks attacked her spine when the boy kissed her hand, and the fire in her eyes ignited into a blaze. She yanked her hand back immediately, but instead of slapping him she made a fist to clock him across the chin. Kyle winced at the impact, but looked satisfied nonetheless, watching as the human prince toppled over.

“WHAT THE FUCK!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, the fat prince had his hand on his jaw, glaring at the girl. “You little BITCH!”

Kyle and Elizabeth exchanged glances, and soon there were whispers in the air. They stared at each other for a moment, the boy’s screaming becoming white noise.

Then, they both began to laugh, and Kyle broke out into a grin, taking her hand to run down the corridor. They left the prince sitting there crying, and this time Elizabeth didn’t think of removing her hand.

The childlike laughter echoed down the corridors, catching Queen Sheila’s attention as she spoke with The Great Satyr. Their heads turned down one corridor to see Kyle and Elizabeth running past another, hand in hand.

“I knew Kyle could open her up.” The Queen praised, “This might just work out after all, Lord Satan.”

Satan smiled at the sight, “It’s nice to see her finally open up to someone after her mother passed, truly this is a sign from the Goddess.”

“That it is.” Sheila agreed.

The two children continued to run, Kyle directing their footfalls until they were in another part of the castle. Soon, he finally slowed down, leading her with a grin.

“I can’t believe you got him to do that.” Elizabeth couldn’t even find fault with it.

“Well it worked so perfectly the first time, I thought another one would turn out better.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re the better of the two, you did it with pure intent. The Goddess tells me he’s not pure at all.”

“The Goddess has great judge of character.” Kyle made a face, “Word is that he wasn’t a prince until his mother pressured the King into taking him in.”

“What in Zaron for?”

“His mother is said to be the town whore.”

Elizabeth was the one who made a face this time, hearing the whispers that had confirmed Kyle’s story. Kyle heard them too, watching as her eyes became enlightened to them. “I’m not gonna be able to get used to the fact that you can speak to the Goddess.” He said honestly, “Is she always there?”

“She is.” Elizabeth answered quietly, “Though she gives me privacy when I need it, she’s always watching over us.”

Kyle looked around, above them. It was a little creepy, that the belief had been following was actually tangible and all around him instead of an afterthought. If he had any past reservations about the Goddess watching over him, then he was now truly a believer. “Does she see _everything_?” He asked then, almost looking horrified.

The whispers that came after the question didn’t help his nerves, and Elizabeth quirked a brow, looking at him. “Define everything.”

“Nevermind.” He said quickly, pointing her beyond the walls. “We’re here.” He hoped to change the subject, leading her out into the inner garden, the more private part of their palace. Elizabeth had forgotten what they were talking about once they stepped foot into the light, seeing woodland animals scurry across a thicket of trees that enclosed a gleaming crystal-like structure that stood in the center of the garden. Kyle smiled at how amazed she looked, leading her further to the greenhouse doors. “This is where our royal herbalist grows the flowers.” He told her.

She didn’t say anything, slowly walking into the glass house as if it was a holy place. From there Kyle watched on, observing her gaze upon the different flowers that grew only in Larnion. There were little to no flowers in the desert, so all of this was new and breathtaking to the girl. Her fingers ghosted the shape of one of them, hearing silent whispers carry her to another. Nothing was said between them, and Kyle hoped nothing else would break the ethereal silence that this place provided. As she moved he followed, their footfalls not making any sound.

This was different than the library. No, Kyle knew that this was vastly different than before. There was something serene about this moment, and the way Elizabeth was gazing at everything in awe made his breath fall short. Soon, they came across a dying flower, and Elizabeth’s face fell. Kyle put her hand on her shoulder, breaking her concentration as he moved beside her. He smiled and held up a finger for her to see, leading her eyes to follow as he moved it and touched the flower itself. What was once dying was now becoming vibrant again, as if it had never wilted. Elizabeth stared at him in stunned silence, not having seen anything like that before.

“The drow are well practiced in earth magic.” He said then, hoping it wouldn’t break the moment.

Elizabeth nodded, reaching her hand out towards the plant he just revived. Above it a small cloud formed and a tiny rumble of thunder was heard, before the cloud burst into a small rainfall. Kyle stared at it for a moment, speechless, before looking at her. “Elemental magic.” He said then.

She nodded, vanishing the cloud once the plant had enough water. “There’s no rain in the desert, Thamera gifted us with the power to create storms. There are ceremonies where the village comes together to create rain.”

He tried to imagine it, thousands of blood elves coming together and bringing upon a storm, the villagers collecting rainwater to drink while children danced and played. The image seemed so vivid in his mind, and he had to wonder if it was the Goddess giving him the image.

A flutter of whispers soon caught Elizabeth’s attention and she glanced away from the plant, towards the center of the gazebo. There were a small flight of stairs that led to a door that went underground. Kyle turned his head to follow hers, following when she went over to the door.

“Something’s in here.” She said quietly, and Kyle looked confused.

“I thought it was the utility shed.” Kyle said without hesitation, though not stopping her. She made her way down the steps and turned the knob, only to find that it was locked. She frowned, but a whisper directed her upwards, towards a potted plant. She followed the instruction, taking the pot into her hands.

Kyle watched curiously as she dug into the plant, taking out a small silver key. He blinked in surprise, not understanding why it would be inside the pot. “It’s a key.” He said as obviously as possible as if he didn’t realize it by seeing it.

She stared at it, looking back at the door and using the key to unlock it. The lock clicked, and she was able to open it.

Kyle and Elizabeth stepped further into the room, what looked to be a storage shed, tools were on a table, a small rug met her feet. The whispers directed her eyes downward, and she moved to pull away the rug, exposing a trap door.

“What is she telling you?” Kyle asked as she pulled on the heavy door. She seemed to be having trouble, so he decided to help her. He didn’t even know this was inside the room.

“There’s something hidden down here.” She explained, the two of them descending a ladder that took them further down. Nothing was said after that, only intense silence as they made their way into a cold tunnel. Kyle caught Elizabeth shaking and he reached over to take her hand, the two walking side-by-side in the dark tunnel, guided only by dim glows. They soon stopped, a large door blocking their path. The two looked at each other curiously before reaching to pull it open. A flood of whispers escaped the door, assaulting both of them. Only Elizabeth could hear what they meant.

The relic. The stick. The weapon. The artifact. Many more words past their ears and they were met with a glowing golden light. Inside the room, underneath the light, was a stick that was sitting on a pillow under a pillar of stone. Kyle’s eyes widened and Elizabeth’s hand went to her mouth, the two of them hearing faint music, ethereal singing. It came from the stick, as if it was trying to speak to them.

“That’s the relic.” Elizabeth gasped.

Kyle felt a cold chill down his spine and began to panic. His mother and father were trying to keep the relic secret from prying eyes and he just exposed the whereabouts of the stick to an outsider. He froze, glancing over at Elizabeth and hearing the whispers surround them.

No, he didn’t lead her there, she was led by the Goddess, Thamera led her to the stick, but for what purpose? He had no idea. He still felt nervous, turning his attention back onto the relic. Nothing was said, the two children only staring at it in complete silence. It was still singing, and Kyle felt the urge to touch it. He reached out but Elizabeth stopped him, yanking his hand back.

“No.” She whispered, snapping him out of it. Kyle blinked, looking from her to the stick, and back to her.

“But why?”

“ _Neither person pure of elven blood nor human blood can hold the Stick, for it wishes to corrupt those who wish to use its power._ ” She said it like she memorized it, looking at him. “Only select people can use the stick without being corrupted by it.”

“Like who?” He questioned.

“It was created by orcs.” She explained. “Orc druids that wanted to take back what was stolen from them, but it was lost. The first war began because a human found the stick and had wanted to kill the drow.”

“Blood elves didn’t take part in the first war.” Kyle pointed out, “How do you know about it?”

“History books…and blood elves don’t participate unless their own kind are at stake. We’re not aligned with anyone per tradition.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Because of the contracting practices, the kings of past thought it be best to not be tied to anyone, for it would hurt ties if we contracted with enemies to kill a friend.”

“That makes no sense.” Kyle spat out, slightly angry.

Elizabeth nodded solemnly, “I know. I want to change it.”

He looked at her, and she sighed. “It hurts Thamera every time a drow is murdered by our own people for coin, and I want to change it. I want us to get along with the drow, we were created from them, it only makes sense to protect them.”

Kyle’s anger soon left him at those words, “Your dad…he said that it was your idea to come here.”

She nodded, taking his hand and turning away, leading him out of the room. “It was. Xuzia never accepts outsiders, we never seek to leave, and we’re only hurting ourselves if we remain closed off.”

Kyle hadn’t realized until now how much mature Elizabeth sounded when she began talking about her kingdom. Was it because she communicated with the Goddess or was this just how she was? He let her lead them away and back up to the gazebo, covering up the trap door and locking the shed back up, though instead of putting the key back in the potted plant, she handed it to Kyle.

“Put this somewhere no one can find it.” She told him, “I promise not to tell anyone.”

He took the key and placed it in the pocket of his robes. “What do we do now?”

She looked above them, at the sun that was still hanging overhead. The whispers have stopped for now, and she wondered if Thamera was going to give her peace. “Something else.” She said then.

Kyle took her hand, noticing that she has stopped trying to pull it away. “I have something else to show you.” He led her out of the gazebo and along a stone pathway further into the enclosure of trees. She didn’t know where they were going, looking at the forest animals that stood at attention, watching them. It was something about the drow, she surmised, that they were so in tune with nature that animals weren’t afraid of them. The animals trusted the drow.

The drow were blessed beings.

Kyle stopped walking and Elizabeth turned back to see a small pond full of beautiful fish. She hadn’t seen any of these fish, rather used to the ones in the oceans. She smiled, stepping over to the edge.

“I never thought of…fish as pets…” She said quietly.

“We respect all life.” Kyle told her, “We only eat what animals provide for us, we don’t eat them.”

She nodded, recalling their earlier suppers and breakfasts, seeing that most of them had meat. She wondered if they were only doing it to placate the humans and blood elves, and it pained her to think that the process of killing those animals may have hurt them in any way. “You didn’t have to make those meals for us.” She told him, “We’d be happy adapting to your diet.”

“The cooks didn’t like doing it, but there was such an outcry from the king of Kupa Keep.” Kyle made a face. “He made meal requests before coming here.”

Elizabeth cringed, but said nothing. “We only eat fish because she provided them for us, there’s nothing else in the desert that we can thrive off of.”

“I get that, and if there’s ever a time that we go to Xuzia, then I will eat what you give us because it’s the polite thing to do.”

She dipped her toe into the water, making a ripple that fanned out and spread before placing her feet inside. The fish darted away at first from the intrusion, but after a moment of rest they inched forward, curious. Kyle watched, noticing that the fish weren’t afraid of her. Was it because she was in tune with the Goddess? He continued to watch, looking down at his own shoes and then at the water. The pond was large enough for people to swim in but he wasn’t sure. He hesitated, before taking off his robe, exposing his tunic and pants. He worked to roll the pant legs up to his knees and slipped off his shoes, carefully joining her in the pond. The fish had scattered but after a while they too became closer, curious and nibbling on their toes. Elizabeth giggled, which caused Kyle to pause, his breath coming short. He never heard her giggle before, and he decided he rather liked it.

Elizabeth stepped further into the pond, her linen dress becoming wet. She didn’t seem to mind or care. “It’s not cold.” She looked pleased.

“It’s summer.” He replied, looking hesitant to go further than his ankles. He watched as Elizabeth went waist deep into the water, the fish swimming around her and nipping at her floating dress. She laughed, and again Kyle felt his heart hammer before his face became warm.

“Come on.” She called out to him, turning around and reaching out for his hand. “Water isn’t going to hurt you.”

Kyle could suddenly hear whispers, surrounding him and beckoning, trying to urge him and he nodded hesitantly, reaching out to grasp her hands. He was leaning forward, a little far too forward. He should have realized it before it happened, seeing the glint in Elizabeth’s eye and the playful grin before she pulled hard, sending him flying forward into the water with a resounding splash. He sputtered and coughed, his crown falling from his head and his thick red curls becoming drenched. He sat up, spitting some water out of his mouth and glaring at her, only to stop. The sound that reached his ears was a wonderful laugh that only she was making, the girl’s eyes shut as she was doubled over, taking in the amusement of having pulled him in. His glare left him and he looked down, grabbing his crown and looking back up at her. He couldn’t find fault with it anymore. “Are you happy?”

Elizabeth nodded, the last of the chuckles leaving her and she reached out. “I’m not sorry.” She couldn’t keep down her smile.

Kyle reached up for her hand. “Neither am I.” He said then, pulling her down so hard that she toppled over him. There was another large splash and the two of them ended tangled up, but this time it was Kyle laughing while Elizabeth was adequately drenched. She pursed her lips into a thin line but after a moment a snort escaped her and she couldn’t help but laugh with him.

By the time they made it back to the main dining hall the two of them were soaking wet, water trailing after their steps. The servants managed to stop them before they could make a bigger mess.

“What in Thamera’s name happened to you?” Asked one of the elves.

“She started it.” Kyle said at once, pointing at Elizabeth. She had her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh again. When the woman looked at the young princess she only shook her head, which sprayed water all over Kyle’s face. He scowled and shook his hair into her face, breaking out into another laugh. Elizabeth couldn’t hold it in anymore, laughing with him.

Their parents seemed to have arrived at the sound of laughter, Queen Sheila gasping at the sight while King Gerald snickered behind his hand. Satan, however, looked ready to cry.

“She hadn’t laughed like that in years.” He said aloud, gathering Sheila’s attention.

“Well then I believe Kyle may be good for her, don’t you agree?” She asked with a wry smirk.

Satan nodded, “I believe Elizabeth’s right, Thamera wants this to happen.”

Gerald clasped his hands together, “Then it’s settled! Elizabeth and Kyle will be set to marry when they come of age!”

The laughter that was ongoing seemed to stop sharply at the word ‘marry’ and the two of them froze, staring directly at their parents in shock.

“WHAT?”

Behind the three royals stood two princes. Damien stood still, staring directly past his father and to his sister, his eyes narrowed in abject rage over what was decided. At his left stood the fat prince, Eric, glaring directly at the ginger-headed prince that had stolen his woman away. The two boys clenched their teeth, hands becoming fists.

“I won’t let this happen.” Damien muttered to himself.

“I can’t believe that damn dirty drow—ugh—I hate him!”

Damien’s tense shoulders loosened some, and his hands relaxed, cooly glancing to his side to watch how Prince Eric looked ready to murder someone. He looked back at Elizabeth, not so angry anymore, but almost thoughtful.

He had a feeling that there could be a way out of this.

He’d just have to give it some time.

* * *

_And so with that, my father decided to make an alliance between the blood elves and the drow. Everyone was happy, that is, everyone that wasn’t myself and the drow prince. When it was time to leave the two of us were still speechless, yet the only one who didn’t wish to leave was Alice, having bonded with the young human servant that captured his heart. What hurt the most was that Kenny was going back to the fat prince, back to living her life as someone that was nothing more than a slave. The two of them were torn apart, having held onto each other for what seemed like ages until Eric decided to drag Kenny away from him, and my father pulling Alice away from her. The heartbroken look in their eyes spoke volumes, but I could hear whispers. They would meet again, but the circumstance wouldn’t be the one they would prefer._

_Once we were back in the desert, in Xuzia, my father had announced the impending alliance with the kingdom of Larnion, which enraged the elders, who valued tradition and isolation more than the progress of their people. I was set to marry prince Kyle, which also angered the elders, who believed that I should remain pure if I were to continue to speak to the Goddess. She told me otherwise. The Great Satyr’s plans were met with mixed reactions among our people, a hard no from the traditionalists, while a hopeful yes from those who wished to break from tradition. It wouldn’t be the last thing they would argue about, because in years time I would talk my father into bringing about a trade system into our land, from ships that came from afar. Trading our land’s natural resources for their wares. We were to get spices from far, distant countries while we traded them our gold. My ideas to bring Xuzia outside of isolation came with active resistance, the main person being my brother, Damien. He wished to keep Xuzia buried in its traditions, in its inky past. He didn’t wish to better the kingdom like myself. The only one who stayed neutral was Alice, who didn’t wish to take sides, still dampened by heartbreak._

_The years waned on, communications between Larnion and Xuzia became more frequent, however what I didn’t know was that there was something happening that none of us knew about. For four years nothing would ever be amiss until word would come from the mouths of the messengers._

_“Prince Isaac had been killed in his sleep by a Blood Elf Assassin.”_

_No one knew who contracted the assassin, and the assassin who was caught would refuse to say a word. But for the crime of killing the second child of Queen Sheila, the only possible route to take was death. It was then that the plans once held by Xuzia and Larnion were put to a stop. Kyle and I were no longer destined to be married when we came of age. Queen Sheila became hateful of the blood elves, blaming our father for her son’s death. He couldn’t have controlled it, contracts were taken in secret, not planned by committee. Those who hated the former alliance were pleased with the news, but I was not. It only doubled my determination to see a change in Xuzia. If I couldn’t make a change with a binding marriage, then I would make it in other ways. I took on a more proactive role as crown princess. I immersed myself in progressive ideas. I became the number one enemy of the Elders, while my father had begun to leave the lands themselves to have talks of trade across the seas. I was left in charge._

_It wasn’t long until word of mouth came back to Xuzia, about the death of Queen Sheila, who died from mourning her son, King Gerald only following days later from losing his wife. Prince Kyle was to become the King, to take the throne. I felt a pain in my heart but I did not allow it to overcome me, because the Goddess told me that I would be reunited with him someday. I continued to listen to the Goddess, she is the only voice that I would trust. In the year that followed myself and my brothers became adults in the eyes of our elders, yet the Great Satyr was still king. He would remain King until his death, and that was yet to happen. Though, with his frequent overseas trips, I was still in charge of Xuzia and was determined to open our kingdom to the outsiders, much to my brother’s disapproval._

_But then, the news I hadn’t expected, came._

_“King Kyle had been poisoned on the day of his wedding.”_

_I wept._


	4. Chapter 4

**Five years later…**

Their kingdom was to the south of Zaron, deep within the desert. It was easy to get lost trying to find them, if you could fight off the mirages after days of venturing across the dry plains. He managed to survive the journey, coming to an oasis by the luck of the Goddess. He drank from the water greedily and took the ripened fruit from a cactus nearby, savoring the sweet nectar that hit his tongue. Not many would dare to make such a dangerous journey, but his goal was worth it. He needed to do this, he needed their help. _Her_ help.

It was during a full moon when he happened upon the kingdom’s entrance, spotting the tall towers and the dark-skinned elves that kept a watch on the world below. He moved faster than before, pleading to the Goddess above and hoping that it wasn’t another mirage. The closer he got to the entrance, the more his heart soared, hearing the beating of drums as the elves on their towers alerted their people of the outsider.

He finally collapsed when he reached the doors, breathing raggedly. He was finally here, he made it alive. He didn’t look up as the doors opened, trying to steady his swimming vision. It wasn’t working, however, and he inwardly cursed, feeling the world slipping from his grasp as he fell, exhaustion taking his body.

He didn’t expect to wake, or to feel the cool refreshing taste of water between his lips. He let out a pleading sigh, gladly drinking from whoever was tending to him.

“Summon the Princess.” A voice commanded, “The outsider is awake.”

His eyelids didn’t feel heavy anymore, and he opened them. Before him was one of their people, dark-skinned and decorated in markings. A small feeling of hope arose from inside of him. The Princess! She was the reason he was here, he needed _her_ help. The only problem he had was would she recognize him? Has it been too long? Would she even receive him?

He didn’t know anything other than the whispers.

The woman gave him a soft smile, moving a wet cloth over his forehead. “You’re the first outsider that’s ever successfully survived our desert.” She said, “The Goddess must be watching.”

He didn’t answer that, he couldn’t answer that. Could he say that he was led here by Her words? No one could hear the Goddess but _her_. If he told them that She had directed him here, what would they think of him?

“The Princess is here.” Another voice announced. The woman before him helped him upright. He found his footing quickly, only to kneel down when she did.

The Princess looked different compared to the rest of the Blood Elves, decorated in muted greens and reds, she actually wore color while the rest were dressed in white or tan. A gold circlet sat around her dark hair, framing her elegant face and those bright emerald eyes. It wasn’t the only part that was decorated in gold, matching the equally gold decorations on her arms, wrists, and anklets. She held her presence like a Queen, not just a Princess.

She was just how he remembered her.

“Welcome, outsider—“ Her breath fell short as she took upon the sight of the outsider before her. Whatever words were to fall through her lips ended up caught in her throat. “Kyle?” Her voice raised a few octaves, and she had trouble tearing her eyes away.

Kyle didn’t understand her reaction, she was staring at him as if she had seen a ghost. “Liz.” He said softly, finally standing up. “I came all this way to—“

“Quiet.” She shushed him with a simple word, stepping back as she studied him, her defenses raising with each second. No, this couldn’t be him. King Kyle had been poisoned, this had to be an imposter. Who the fuck was this person? Was this a trick?

“Is there something wrong, Princess?” Asked the woman, watching her with worried eyes. Elizabeth still couldn’t speak, finally tearing her eyes from his form to address the other woman. “H-h-have them bring me—my—staff.” She was struggling with her words, refusing to leave his side. The woman nodded and left her alone with him.

“Liz. It’s me.” Kyle didn’t understand why she was reacting like this. “Liz, don’t you remember? The pond, the library, the stick—“ He winced suddenly, “I’m here about the _stick_!” He cried out.

Elizabeth scrambled away when he stepped forward, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She thought she was going to have a panic attack right then and there. It sounded like him, he sounded like the real…

She had to be sure.

When the woman had returned, she was carrying a staff. Kyle looked it over, seeing how it had a quartz crystal on its mantle.

Elizabeth smiled thinly, taking the staff. “You say you’re King Kyle of the family Broflovski.” She spoke up then, all of the previous nerves from before having left her. “If you are being honest with me, then you have nothing to fear.” Her smile turned dark, “If you’re nothing but lies, however, then you will be put to death.”

Kyle’s brows rose, “ _Death_?”

She ignored his reaction, “We don’t tolerate deception, King, we are a kingdom of moral people.”

Kyle gaped at her, “Moral people? You kill others for a living! You’re assassins!”

“Shut it.” She narrowed her eyes at him, prodding his chest with the head of her staff, “Kneel.” She sounded angry, forceful and deviant. This was the moment, she would finally figure out who this fraud was.

Kyle held back some choice words before his temper got the best of him, glaring at her slightly but doing as she said. He had to pray to his Goddess that fate was in his favor, he hate to have to be killed after almost dying to get to her.

The Princess held the staff over his head, saying nothing. After a moment of silence, she moved it upwards to slam it downwards, whacking him over the head with full force.

“FUCK!” Kyle shouted, collapsing to the ground and holding his head as pain surged from where she slammed him. He glared at her, seething, “WHAT THE FUCK?” He cried out.

Elizabeth said nothing, bringing the staff closer to her and looking carefully at the white crystal. A dark shadow began to surround the inside of the stone, slowly turning it black. She reached up to grab the crystal and dislodge it from her staff, staring at it closely.

The whispers were telling her his truth. Trust him. Keep him safe. Help him. Believe him.

This was the real Kyle, King of Larnion.

Her anger had instantly dissolved, replaced with uneasy distress and the sudden urge to cry. “K-Kyle?” She stepped forward, unable to grasp what was happening. She pressed her fingers against his cheek, feeling flesh, living breathing flesh that she could touch.

Kyle’s anger drifted back into confusion, just having his life threatened not moments ago and now she was on the verge of crying. He couldn’t get a read on her. “Liz. I really, really need your help.”

She went still, “What do you mean?” Why would he need her help? Why was he here? Where did he come from?

Why was he alive?

“Liz it’s…” He clenched his teeth and looked away, hissing. “It’s a long story.”

“I…” She was at a loss for words again, handing her staff off to the woman from before. “Leave us.” She instructed, paying no attention as the woman left.

“So… after mom and dad severed the contract with you and I, something had happened.”

She quirked a brow, “W…what happened Kyle?”

“Well, it turned out that the girl that was Prince Eric’s servant was really a Princess, and mom suddenly decided that I should get to know her better.”

The mention of Kenny sparked recollection inside of Elizabeth, and she thought about Alice. He still was pining for her after all this time. “…what then?”

Kyle looked away, reaching behind his head to scratch it, but as he raised his arm a pungent scent overtook Elizabeth and she held her nose, finally taking in his robes. They were dirty, almost rotten…they looked like burial robes. She did her best to endure it, holding her breath.

“Well, mom decided she wanted me to marry her, because by the time Princess Kenny had been revealed the King had died in his sleep, and Eric became the King in his stead.”

Something told her that the king just didn’t ‘die in his sleep’, like Kyle believed. Her assumption was backed up by whispers, all of them in chorus telling her that she was right. “You married her.”

Kyle nodded, “I didn’t have a choice. It was mom’s dying wish…but I also didn’t know it was a plot to deceive me. Because during the after party I drank some wine, and I don’t know what happened after that, but I suddenly woke up in the dungeons and when I tried to find her she and everyone else didn’t recognize me. They all reacted like you did!” He looked frustrated. “I think he cursed me, Liz. He cursed me so no one could recognize me and all that was to get the Stick.”

Elizabeth nodded slowly. “He…cursed you.”

“IT HAD TO BE HIM! He’s a fucking wizard!” Kyle shouted, “You have to believe me! I came to you because you’re my last hope. I knew the Goddess would tell you the truth. Thamera led me here! She told me to find you!” He nearly began to pull his hair, looking desperate. “Liz please believe me!”

The whispers exploded from behind Kyle and assaulted Elizabeth, and she could only listen, stunned, hearing what they had to say, what She had to say. She could see it, the wedding reception, the wine, the toast, Kyle drinking…Kyle and _Kenny_ drinking…and then—

“Liz?” He was shaking her shoulders now, snapping her out of her vision. “Liz are you okay? Please tell me he didn’t get to you too!”

She took hold of his wrists, staring at him hard, “Kyle. Tell me something important.”

He nodded, worried about his chances. Was she going to help him? Why did she keep reacting like this? It only reminded him of…

_“You’re not Kyle!”_

Kyle’s heart ached suddenly, looking down at her hands around his wrists. “Stan tried to kill me.” He breathed.

Elizabeth frowned, letting him go to pull him into an embrace. She had to hold back the overwhelming urge to vomit as she did, the stench of death was radiating off of him. She had no other way to say what she wanted to say to him, deciding to just be blunt. “Kyle, the last time I heard about you, I was told that you had died.”

Kyle blinked, confused. “Dead? I’m not dead.” He pulled away, gesturing to himself. “I wouldn’t be talking if I was dead. I’m moving, my heart’s beating! Liz, what the fuck?”

She stared at him listlessly, “Smell your robes.”

Kyle lifted his sleeve to his nose and took a sniff, cringing. “That’s just because I was out there in the desert for days!” He said defensively, “It’s just sweat.”

“Your robes are burial robes.” She said again, and he looked at himself, never having actually checked his appearance until now.

“…I wasn’t wearing these when I married Kenny.” He said to himself, looking up at her. “Isn’t it winter anyway?”

“It’s summer.”

Kyle fell silent, shedding himself of one of his robes so he was only in a tunic and pants. “That’s why it’s so hot?” It wasn’t long until the hints caught up with him and what Elizabeth was trying to tell him had rang in his ear. “Dead…I’m dead?” He felt himself. “But I’m—“

“Breathing.” Elizabeth felt like she was going to faint, or vomit, both sounded good right now.

“But how can I be…”

“You tell me Kyle!” She finally cried out, stepping away, “You were dead for five years up until you came into my city!”

Kyle looked stricken, “F-five years?” He seemed to pale at that, “But I’m sixteen.”

“Welcome to the land of the living. Now if you excuse me.”

Kyle watched as Elizabeth suddenly collapsed from the shock of what just happened, and Kyle screamed. “LIZ!” He scrambled to the door, panic rising inside of him.

“Someone, help!”

* * *

Of course, if one were to walk into the structure to see a panicked outsider and the Crown Princess on the floor out cold anyone would take it the wrong way. Kyle was thusly put into a cell when the guards came to separate him and Elizabeth. He refused to leave her, but he was also hysterical. To anyone else, he may have looked like a madman.

The cells in Xuzia were different than the cells in Larnion. With the red clay walls that made up most of the structures in the city, there weren’t any bars, but he sat in a solid room with only one large gap in the ceiling where the light shone down onto his person. Nothing much was inside of it other than a water trough and a chamber pot, and Kyle was happy that they at least gave their prisoners something to drink in such a hot place.

At least he wasn’t dead, at least.

But according to Elizabeth, he _was_.

Kyle patted his chest for the third time since he was put inside the cell, feeling his heartbeat. He was alive, but all signs pointed to him being dead just a week ago. The more he thought about it the more it began to make sense, even if he didn’t want it to. Everyone he ran into reacted like he was a freak of nature before assuming he was some kind of a fraud. Kenny had screamed at the sight of him, Stan had became enraged and tried to kill him. Every one of his guards hunted him down before he could escape Larnion’s forest. If he put the reason behind it of him being dead just a moment ago, it made perfect sense. The question though was _why_. If he was dead, why was he alive _now_? More so, _who_ brought him back? 

He tried to remember anything before just waking up, and it was pretty muddled. He remembered the wedding and reception, but beyond that it was a blur. Perhaps it was best, he didn’t want to know how he died. Or why he died. Though, he had a good feeling about why he died. Kenny was partially the cause, wasn’t she?

And she seemed so innocent…

To think that she was working with the Grand Wizard, this must have probably been to capture the Stick, but the only ones who knew where the Stick was were Kyle and Elizabeth, after last time… He frowned, digging into his tunic to pull out a silver key hanging from a leather cord. After Elizabeth had given the key to Kyle, he had given the key to Ike… But then, Ike was killed in his sleep… by a blood elf.

He could remember his mother’s guttural screaming, wincing just slightly. She assumed that it was them trying to get the Stick, because Elizabeth knew about it. He had stupidly told her that she knew about it, but up until then, his mother didn’t believe that it didn’t matter. When Ike died, however, the Queen was so overwhelmed with grief that she blamed the blood elves instantly, no matter Kyle’s insistence that Elizabeth wasn’t the type to do that kind of thing. He didn’t believe she told anyone, and he didn’t believe that Ike was killed for the key. His pleas, however, went on deaf ears, and his mother decided to cut all ties with the blood elves, especially their impending alliance.

He never really loved Kenny…

Though, Kenny never really loved him…

Marriage of convenience.

Before Kyle could continue to try and come to terms with the fact that he was once dead, someone had begun to open the door to his cell. Kyle looked up, pausing for a moment at the sight. A tall lithe male with leather pants and no shirt, markings decorating his arms and chest and short brunette hair with a braid at the side. Over his face was a wooden mask, the eyes carved out to expose one blue and one green…

“Alice.” Kyle knew it immediately.

Alice wasn’t answering, stuck on the sight of Kyle in living, breathing flesh. He took a hold of his mask and raised it over his head, his eyes directly onto the other. “It is you.” He whispered. “I thought Liz was being delusional…”

“Liz? Is she awake?” Kyle stood up, realizing that Alice was at least a few inches taller than him. “Where is she?”

“She’s being forced to rest for the moment, so she requested me to find you.” He pulled on a wan smile. “She told me what happened. Welcome back to life, I take it?”

The drow king glanced away, moving to scratch his head. Something about that made Alice grimace and hold his nose, and Kyle realized it must be the smell.

“You smell like a dead man, that’s for sure.” Alice said then, “Do you want a bath or anything?”

“I can’t really think about having a bath when I don’t even know what’s going on.” Kyle frowned, watching him turn away.

“Come on, I’m here to get you out.” Alice seemed to be ignoring him for now, leading him out of the prison. By the time Kyle made it outside he was finally able to see the city. The huts were made of clay, as were many other buildings all around them. Some weren’t clay huts at all, but elongated tents made from leather hides. He quietly followed Alice down the path, being led to the largest home in the city. It was decorated in gold and adorned with stained glass, gleaming in the dawning sun. The palace wasn’t like the one he was used to back at Larnion, but still breathtaking. Around them were decorative springs, water flowing freely while children played underneath. Beyond the city was an ocean, ships dotting the surface and docked along the coast of the translucent waters. Xuzia looked like a peaceful place, despite everything he was told about the blood elves.

“Wow.” Kyle breathed, unable to find the words. Alice paid him no mind, smiling as people stopped for him to pass, the blood elves staring at Alice in reverence while treating Kyle with caution. Of course, it was obvious that Kyle stuck out like a sore thumb in this city, but the fact that he was with Alice seemed to soften the would-be blow.

“My workshop is below the palace.” Alice’s voice perked his attention back towards him, as they took a different route into the palace. It reminded him of the servants entrance, how the door was an obscure area within the side of the palace and hidden quite well by design. In fact, it was the servants quarters they passed on the way down, Kyle catching the eyes of some blood elves in simple linen garments going about their work. They returned his curious stares with ones of their own, and it was evident that no one had ever seen a drow before today.

Alice greeted the servants with kind smiles, waving at some who swooned at the sight of him. Kyle wondered if Alice had found someone, or if he was still lingering on Princess Kenny. A flutter of whispers met his ear to tell him that his heart never left her side, and suddenly Kyle felt a sting of guilt. His eyes lingered on Alice, especially his eyes. The sparkle that he saw before when they first met had dulled.

He was led to a large pair of double doors, painted blue. “Here we are.” Alice told him, smiling. Kyle wondered if Elizabeth told him about his marriage to Kenny, because the smile wasn’t quite there.

“Uh…” Kyle hesitated, staring at the doors. They were bigger than both of them, and he was afraid what could be on the other end of those doors. “Why do you have a workshop?” He asked.

“Reasons.” Alice answered vaguely, opening one of the doors and ushering him inside.

He didn’t know how large the room was until he found himself staring at something that expanded further underground. He blinked, standing at a catwalk as he stared down at the enormous room. Why did Alice need such a large room? What exactly was he doing down here? Ten thousand questions ran through his head as he descended the spiral staircase into the larger room. It wasn’t long until he heard whistling, glancing behind him to Alice before looking around. The whistle bounced off the acoustics of the large room, making it seem like an echo.

By the time they made it down Kyle could finally see what looked like a real workshop. Metals and glass on tables, colored sand spread all over the floor. In the back were a couple of furnaces, hot with red coals and ready for use while some metal tools were kept nearby. He could see what looked like to be raw glass in some of the sand piles. He stared at the ground, then looked higher up, seeing the pipes to the furnaces feeding along the high wall and escaping the ceiling. Was this why he needed the space?

“I like to make glass with lightning and sand.” Alice explained for him, passing the other and moving to scoop up a cold lump of glass. “You can’t imagine the shit I went through before we dug out this basement for me.” He grinned widely, “My room was next to Damien’s and he wouldn’t stop complaining about me creating thunderstorms every night. So dad had them excavate this hole for me to stay in.”

Kyle nodded dumbly, “Wouldn’t the thunder still be loud?”

“I managed to make the walls soundproof.” He laughed slightly, “It minimizes the sound just a little, enough so the people can sleep without trouble.”

“Wow…so what do you make with the glass?”

“Stained windows.” Alice said simply, bringing the other over to another table, something was covered with a large cloth. The prince removed the cloth to expose a beautiful stained window of a blonde angel in a purple dress tending to flowers.

Kyle’s eyes stayed on the angel, mainly how familiar she looked. “…you’re still…”

“Never stopped.” He said quietly, his fingers tracing the edges.

The whispers returned to Kyle and began to surround him. He didn’t know why why he could understand them. Tell him. Send him to her. They must meet. He needs her. His eyes went from the glass window to Alice, wondering what this meant. “I-I know where she is.”

Alice’s head perked up in attention.

He nodded, “Actually, um, can you do me a favor? I need you to go back to Larnion for me and try and convince them that I’m not dead.” He looked around for something to write on, parchment and charcoal. “You need to find a human named Stanley Marshwalker. He’s my personal knight.” When he found what he needed he took to writing on it. “He and the rest of them think I’m dead, but if you give him this letter then you could probably convince him. Stan will help you with anything you need, and that means _anything_. He’s the captain of the royal guard.”

Alice nodded, peeking over Kyle’s shoulder to see what he was writing. The writing was entirely in Elvish. “I can do that, his name’s Stan, right? _Hey, Stan, I need your help_.” He tested out the name amusedly, nodding.

“When you find Stan, you’ll find Kenny.” Kyle rolled up the parchment then, watching Alice. The prince seemed stunned. “It’s a long story as to why she’s in Larnion, but you’ll meet her again.”

Alice nodded slowly, taking the rolled up parchment gingerly. “I rather her be there than in Kupa Keep…” He said offhandedly, turning away to find a wardrobe. “Larnion…I would need a shirt like last time.” He picked up a tunic only to put it back, pulling out a leather top instead. He shut the wardrobe and looked back at Kyle, “Normally something like this would be something I would contract for.”

Kyle paled, “I—I have no money.”

“You don’t need it.” Alice said kindly, “Getting to see my Princess will be enough payment for me.”

Kyle kept his eyes on him, he didn’t have the heart to tell Alice why she was in Larnion to begin with, or what had happened. Why did the Goddess want him to go?

It’s time for them to meet again, said the whisper.

Alice went across the room to collect his bow and arrows, and to pocket a knife. “I’m glad I’ve been practicing Alchemy for the past few years.” He grinned to himself. “So, what do you plan on doing while I’m gone?”

Kyle tried to keep up with him as Alice began to go back up the spiral staircase. “I don’t know, it’s up to Liz. I have no idea what’s going to happen but I’m going to wait for her to decide. The fact that I’m technically dead means I can’t go back home until I’m certain they won’t try and murder me.”

“I would see why that’d be a problem.” Alice pushed through the door, leading him down the hallway. “I’ll send you a missive, and until then I want you to look after her. I don’t really trust Damien alone with Liz.”

Kyle stopped for a split second, “Damien, you mean your brother?”

“The very same. Ever since Liz has been working to help Xuzia break tradition he’s been against her every step. He wants us to keep with our traditions, which include contract killing and isolating ourself from the world. They’re often at each other’s throats.”

Kyle continued to follow him out, and Alice whistled for someone to bring him a horse. “Is she safe to be without you here?”

A man brought Alice a horse, and the prince looked back at him. “I wouldn’t be leaving if I didn’t think Liz was safe. You’re here, Kyle. That in itself is enough.”

Kyle bit his lip for a moment, “What do you mean by that?”

Alice moved to hoist himself onto the horse. “You’ll find out. Keep her safe.” He let out another whistle and the gates began to open. Kyle watched on as Alice galloped out of the city, the blood elf next to him smiling.

“May the Goddess protect him.” He said.

Kyle smiled slightly, “I think the Goddess has this covered enough already.”

The blood elf left him alone again, and Kyle turned to the palace. Right now he should be having an identity crisis, it felt like it was long since overdue, but what Alice had told him stuck with him. Elizabeth and Damien were at odds, two people with two different beliefs that wanted the kingdom to go in two separate directions. It warmed his heart that Elizabeth was trying to abolish the contract killings, especially after what had happened to his brother. He didn’t even know she was working on doing that. Though, he didn’t know that her brother was against everything. Xuzia, he come to learn, was a kingdom based on tradition. Certain traditions were usually backwards and abhorrent, keeping their people from growing. Larnion used to have its traditions, but it only takes one ruler to break them so they could allow their people something new and unexplored. His mother wanted that for her people, she wanted Kyle to be the first person to marry and sire a child that wasn’t a drow. She wanted him to bring the kingdoms together by marrying someone of a different race. The ideal people were the blood elves, because of who they were born from. Though, when that fell apart she looked to the humans to try to strengthen the bond between the two races, as they were on rocky ground to begin with.

_So much for that idea._

“Ah—“

Kyle jumped from the sudden voice, turning around and seeing a younger woman standing before him. She also winced, stepping back cautiously.

“The Princess… she sent me to find you and Prince Alice.” She looked around for said prince, curious as to why Kyle was alone.

“You just missed him.” Kyle threw his thumb towards the gate. “He went out on contract.”

She nodded slowly, “I see…then…” She smiled at him then, her chestnut eyes and blonde hair gleaming in the light. “Follow me!”

The girl led him back to the palace, and if Kyle looked long enough, he could make out the stained glass windows that caught the sun’s rays. They all had a recurring theme. Flowers. If hepaid enough attention, then he would have noticed that they were flowers only found in Larnion. His eyes fell away too soon to register the details.

“I’m your personal attendant, Lola.” Said the girl, “Our Princess wishes for you to see your room, and to…” She glanced back at him, and like she was told, she could smell the stench of death if the girl got too close. “She wants you to bathe promptly.”

Kyle made a face, that was the third time that someone commented on the state of his cleanliness. "Do I really smell that bad?”

“She said you would ask that, and she told me to tell you it took everything in her not to vomit.”

The words had him roll his eyes, following Lola up the stairwell and onto the second floor, down a corridor and to a room on the left. The girl stood by as Kyle stepped in first, wrinkling her nose and trying to hold her breath as she passed him. “The bath is in the next room, you’ll find your new clothes in the wardrobe. _Please_ , wash yourself.” The last words were a desperate plea, and with that she left just as quickly as she came in. Kyle felt a little annoyed at the begging, taking off his tunic to smell it, only to start coughing as he tossed it aside, realizing that everyone was right.

Kyle was left alone in his room, a large spacious room with muted colors with a single king-sized bed in the middle. A wardrobe stood off to the side, and a large stained glass window across from him was keeping the room well-lit by the morning sun and bathed in beautiful colors of blue, green and yellow. Next to the wardrobe was another door, and when he checked, there before him was a luxurious bath, sitting in the center of the room and decorated in gold, filled up with scented water, which smelled familiar but he couldn’t tell where. Next to the bath was a table with a dozen bottles of scented perfumes and tonics, and another door led to what he figured was the chamber pot.

The bath was inviting, actually, and he had to admit that he actually smelled like death. Even his hair was weighing down because of the sweat he accumulated from the journey. He kept that thought, quickly checking the wardrobe in the main room. There were already linen robes hanging for him, and by the color, they looked to be recently dyed. He idly wondered where they had gotten their dyes in such a place.

He lost track of time as he was bathing, practically crying out when someone entered the room while he was doing his best not to fall asleep. The attendant who walked in on him also looked startled, covering her eyes quickly. “I apologize!” Lola quickly turned away, “King Kyle, I was told to retrieve you for lunch. Princess Elizabeth wants you specifically at the grand table.”

Kyle had his arms over his torso, but the attendant didn’t look like she wanted to peek at the drow king. “Uh, just, wait, outside? Please?”

She didn’t have to be asked twice, escaping the room and shutting the door after her.

There went the option of just soaking, and Kyle resigned to his fate, finishing up quickly and dressing. By the time he opened the door the attendant was holding the pile of garments that were his original robes, cringing from the smell that arose from them.

Her eyes seemed to brighten at what he was now wearing, the grass green linens that were dyed specifically for him. “Oh, good!” She praised, “They fit you perfectly!”

“Really?” Kyle wasn’t used to wearing something so light, but it matched the harsh heat of the kingdom he was in. “You…made this for me?”

Lola nodded, “We like to take good care of our honored guests, the Princess specifically told us that you were to be in green. The dye is created from a mixture of our own cactus plants and bone meal.”

Kyle didn’t know how to react to that, his cheeks going pink just slightly, “Well, I guess I need to thank her myself.”

“You’ll be seeing her right away.” The girl smiled at him, “Follow.” She ushered him along, taking the lead. Halfway down the stone steps she found another blood elf in simple linens, handing him the pile of clothing. “Have this washed.” She told him kindly.

The servant cringed at the smell but nodded, taking them away. Lola looked quite happy to be rid of the clothes, continuing to lead Kyle further down the tower. “Your robes will be well taken care of, you’ll have them in your wardrobe by the next morning. Now, I need to warn you about what you’re about to come across. With the King overseas on business and the second prince out on a contract, the palace is left in the care of the princess and the first prince. They do not get along, at all, and with you being an outsider, the first prince will not delight in your presence.”

Kyle frowned, following her into an empty hallway. He remembered what Alice had told him, “What do you mean exactly?”

Lola glanced back at him, stopping her movement and lowering her voice, “Xuzia has a long-time history of isolation, dear King. Outsiders were never invited into the capital city until Princess Elizabeth stepped into power. She believes that we should be diplomatic to those who search us out and not ignore them coldly. It is only because the King favors her over the first prince that her progressive ideas are allowed. Prince Damien is traditional, and doesn’t believe in mixing our people with any outsiders. Your presence here is very controversial, especially since the princess housed you in the palace.”

“Why would she place me in the palace if the prince is so against it, then?” Kyle asked, recalling Alice’s last words to him. The fact that Elizabeth would house him in the palace while Damien was there sounded pretty strange.

The attendant quirked a small grin, “Because she hates her brother.”

Ah, that made sense. Kyle snorted in amusement, realizing that Liz was just petty enough to throw Kyle in her brother’s face. It sounded like her, actually. But a bigger question rose to his mind, was that how would Damien react knowing that Kyle of the family Broflovski, King of the Drow, was alive after being dead for five years. What would he do? Would he say something or try and do something? Kyle was suddenly worried. That brought him to another question, and Kyle looked at Lola in confusion. Surely she knew that King Kyle was dead as well, right?

“Why aren’t you scared?” He asked then, albeit quietly.

“Hm?” She tilted her head, “What do you mean?”

He opened his mouth and shut it, gesturing to himself. “I’d assume you…” He didn’t really want to say it.

The girl looked at him for the longest time before realization dawned onto her eyes, and she smiled at him. “Princess Elizabeth says the Goddess trusts you, and she trusts the Goddess. We trust Princess Elizabeth when she says you’re who you say you are.”

Kyle didn’t know what to say, blushing slightly and turning his attention to one of the stained-glass windows, his eyes lingering on one of the flowers displayed on it.

The very flower that Kyle had revived on that day, eleven years ago.

His eyes widened slightly and he looked back to Lola, unable to say anything else. She only smiled warmly at him and turned to lead him to the first floor.

However, something caught his thoughts, and he remembered the ships on the coast of their land. “If they believe in isolation, then why are the ships here?” He asked, “Xuzia is inviting people from other lands for trade.”

“This is a very new idea, dear King.” She lead him to an open window, gesturing out at the ships in the distance, “It was the Princess who proposed the idea to the King years ago. The King took her words about their gold and he improved on it, and now we trade our gold for exotic spices and herbs, fabrics, goods and other items. She’s become very popular now that she’s introduced Xuzia to more progressive ideas, and that is why the first Prince loathes her. He believes that we will weaken our defenses for inviting outsiders into our land, make us more susceptible to deception and anything else.”

Damien’s beliefs didn’t make sense to him. Isolating a kingdom doesn’t do anything good for the people, it just hurts them and closes their minds. “She’s teaching her people how to trust outsiders instead of fearing them.” He was actually impressed that she was so intent on fixing Xuzia’s broken system, and it was because of the Goddess that her words were being taken to heart. “I don’t understand how anyone would wish to move backward instead of forward. The Princess is actually doing good for Xuzia.” He turned away then, feeling better about having gone so far to find Elizabeth. If anyone could help him and his kingdom, then it was her.

They finally stopped at the doors, and she opened it to peek inside, sighing in relief. “It’s just her, then.” She proceeded to open the door wider, clearing her throat, “I have delivered the King of Larnion, my Princess.” She announced to the table, mainly the lone girl who was sitting at the head of the grand table. Along the table was a large selection of food and dishes, as if more people were expected to gather. Kyle realized that Elizabeth looked pretty lonely up there without anyone else, and he wondered if she preferred it that way.

In his own castle he ate with the rest of his people, at different tables, but he wasn’t isolated away from the population. It allowed everyone a chance to strengthen their bonds with one another, giving him a chance to listen to his own people. He instantly wondered if Elizabeth was friendly to her own people or was she carefully guarded, which he hoped to be the former. She was trying to do what was good for the people, so it must have meant she spoke with them as well.

Elizabeth’s head perked up from the parchment she was reading, smiling faintly at Kyle’s presence, “You don’t smell like death anymore, do you?”

Kyle fought the urge to roll his eyes, heading over to where she was sitting. “Ha. Ha. Thank you for the clothes, by the way. I don’t feel like sweating.”

The smile left her and she sighed, “You know…I imagined you eating at the grand table under different circumstances, being in Xuzia not under duress…” She trailed off after a moment, looking down at her plate. “Though…”

_I’m thankful that you’re with me again._

Kyle sat in a chair at her left. “Do you always eat alone?” He asked. “There’s so much food here.”

“I eat with the servants, there’s always too much for a single person to handle…though when Damien comes he doesn’t wish for the servants to be there. There’s a reason why I’m the only one here.” She didn’t look happy about that, and Kyle understood. He never really had any time spent with Damien, but Alice and Elizabeth seemed like the better children of the Great Satyr.

“From what I hear your brother sounds like a douche.” Kyle said then.

“You have no idea.” She sighed. “If I wasn’t connected with the Goddess, there wouldn’t be any advancements in Xuzia, and we wouldn’t have ever met.”

He fell silent for a moment, “…I’m glad we did.”

Elizabeth smiled, “Eat something, Kyle.”

Kyle nodded before finally giving into his hunger and deciding to eat, the first bite of the spiced fish filling his mouth with explosions of flavor. It was delicious, however very spicy. When another servant arrived with a jug full of wine he took it without hesitation, still unaware of what had killed him the first time. When he drank it he sighed. The wine in itself was a blooming flavor of fruit and flowers, and within time he had gone back to savoring every flavor he was presented with. He felt like he hadn’t eaten in years, which was more than true.

What finally tore him away was a small chuckle, and he looked up, turning red at the sight of Elizabeth watching him curiously, instantly wondering if she had been watching him for quite some time. “Excuse me.” He mumbled after swallowing, “Your…food, it’s…really, good.”

“I’ll be sure to send your praises to our cooks.” She said amusedly, looking like she had been finished with her meal for a while. “They delight in the spices we get from the foreign ships, as when I was a child, our food was quite bland and flavorless.”

He nodded, “Spices can really make a difference.” He agreed, looking over what he had. Grilled fish fillets and greens. His eyes lingered on the fish.

_“We only eat fish because she provided them for us, there’s nothing else in the desert that we can thrive off of.”_

_“I get that, and if there’s ever a time that we go to Xuzia, then I will eat what you give us because it’s the polite thing to do.”_

The memory played in his eyes and he looked over to Elizabeth, opening his mouth to say something. He didn’t get the chance to say what he was going to say, however, as the doors had opened, another man entering the room without any announcement. He wore black linens that matched his short hair. His eyes were unnaturally red as always, and they were staring at Kyle’s person scathingly.

Elizabeth bristled, “Brother.”

Damien turned his attention to Elizabeth, “So you’ve decided to play house with the outsider, sister.” He paused, however, staring at Kyle for a long moment, “You look familiar.”

Kyle looked at Damien, feeling a sudden cold chill creep down his spine from the other’s piercing eyes. “Hi, Damien.”

Damien folded his arms, “ _You_.” He seemed to be thinking, as if processing Kyle’s existence in the palace. He looked at Elizabeth, “Are you aware that you have a dead man sitting next to you?”

Elizabeth was still tense, having expected this. “The Goddess has told me he’s who he says he is.”

The man rolled his eyes, “Of course she did. She tells you a lot of things, doesn’t she?”

Her eyes narrowed, “You dare question the Goddess?”

“I don’t question the Goddess, sister, I question the _mouth piece_.” He rounded the table and sat down, pausing for a moment. “Do you even know what killed you?” Damien sounded suspicious, staring at Kyle like he was a puzzle.

Kyle shook his head, “I don’t know what killed me, but I have a feeling of why I may have been killed.” He said then, thinking. “The King of Kupa Keep had never liked me to begin with, and I have a feeling that he plotted with Princess Kenny for her to use me so he could do away with me, so he could get our relic.”

“Your relic.” Damien repeated.

“The Stick of Truth.” Kyle explained, “We have it, or…it might not be there anymore.” He idly felt his chest, where the silver key hung from his neck.

Damien quirked a brow, “So you were deceived by a couple of humans.”

“What does that supposed to mean?”

“I know very well that the drow and the humans do not like each other’s company, or each other’s kingdom, and yet you decided to align with the humans.”

“It wasn’t my idea, it was my mother’s idea. She wanted to build a bridge between our people.”

Damien smirked a little, “So what you’re saying is, outsiders came into your kingdom and betrayed you for your kindness.” He looked pointedly at Elizabeth after that.

Kyle visibly bristled, “Just because I was betrayed by the Grand Wizard doesn’t mean that all the humans are like him. One man’s deception is not a reason to close myself or my kingdom from others seeking refuge in my land.”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything, but the smug look on her face told Damien everything. The man glared at her, “Don’t get all high and mighty just because you found one other royal that believes the same stupid trite that you do.” He hissed, “When father returns—“

“When father returns, I’m going to see what I can do about reviving the alliance between Xuzia and Larnion.” Elizabeth interrupted him, “I do believe that it’s been a long time coming.”

Kyle’s eyebrows rose, “R-really?”

Damien slammed a fist down onto the table, rattling the dishes, “That’s a foolish move to even consider to make, sister.” He growled out, “Our main profession relies on our neutrality between the kingdoms!”

“Our main profession makes me sick to my stomach when I know that our children are being raised to carry out murder for coin!” She raised her voice, “I want our children to do something other than get their hands coated in the blood of their kills, it’s a cold and horrific practice that needs to be stopped.”

“It’s a practice that’s steeped in tradition and you’re trying to rip our very culture out from under your own people!” Damien shouted, “Are you so stupid that you think father’s going to agree with this silly idea of yours?”

Elizabeth stood up, “Father is learning how to be progressive in our practices, I’m confident that he will listen to me about this like he had listened to me about exporting our gold to traders!”

Damien shot up so fast the chair clattered to the floor, and he pointed a finger at her, “No one is going to agree with your ideas, not if you’re intending to steal away the one thing that keeps us thriving. The power has gotten to your head, _sister dear_. You are not nearly capable of becoming the leader we deserve in this kingdom.”

Kyle stood up carefully, holding his hands up, “Hey, hey, Elizabeth’s actually being a good leader. Coming from an outsider’s point of view, this is a great step towards opening up to the world. Everyone else fears the blood elves and this is a good idea to lessen that stigma!”

“Your point of view means nothing, King. As you have stated, you are an outsider, and you’re not to be trusted.” He moved away then, “Stay out of something you have no part of.”

Damien stormed out of the room, practically shoving a servant out of the way as he did and with her the tray full of dishes, which shattered when they fell to the floor. She cried out when it happened, dropping to her knees to pick up the pieces.

Elizabeth got up to assist the servant, shooing her away so she could do it herself.

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” She said to Kyle, smiling apologetically.

Kyle sighed, joining her, “No, don’t apologize. Your brother seems to have become even more of a douche than what I’ve been told to believe.” He smirked slightly.

That made her laugh, something that caught Kyle when she did. He looked away quickly, turning red. He remembered that laugh, and it had been a long time since he had the chance to hear it again.

“Don’t let him hear you say that.” She told him softly, “He might cut out your tongue.”

Kyle didn’t reply, only standing when she did after the servant came back with a broom. Elizabeth stepped away then, still smiling at Kyle, “I mean it though.”

Kyle followed her, “Mean what?”

“Aligning with the drow.” She led him out into the hallway, “What happened to Prince Isaac was a horrible thing but one blood elf’s actions does not reflect upon the society as a whole. The killer and whoever contracted that killer was at fault, not any of us. I am determined to have an alliance between Xuzia and Larnion, even if it kills me. The Goddess wants this.”

A flurry of whispers met Kyle’s ears, all of them agreeing with her words. He nodded slowly, understanding what she was trying to say. “I never agreed with my mom when she decided to end the alliance contract.” He said to her, “She was blinded by grief and hatred, and a good ruler doesn’t let their emotions overwhelm their decisions.” Kyle gave her a smile, “If we figure out how to get me back to Larnion safely, then I would happily make an alliance with you.”

Elizabeth looked overjoyed, smiling widely and hugging Kyle tight without a warning. Kyle was caught off-guard, his arms raised and not knowing where to go while she pressed her body against his. The contact felt warm and he relaxed somewhat, putting his arms down so that he was soon returning the hug. It was a nice feeling, being this close to her, and if he paid attention to the scent, he could probably make out the desert flowers that made her perfume.

He could feel his heart pound, a sign that he was very well much alive.

“Princess.” A soft voice interrupted their time alone, and they parted quickly out of surprise, turning back to see an attendant peeking out from the hallway. “Forgive me, but you have plans for today.”

Elizabeth’s relaxed posture faded away at the words, and she cast an apologetic smile towards Kyle, “I need to leave,” She said.

Kyle waved her away, “I’ll be fine by myself, I know how to avoid people if I need to.”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything to that, only nodding quietly and leaving with the attendant.

Kyle spent the rest of the day learning his way around the palace, making small talk with the servants and meeting guards. He slowly came to notice something with the more blood elves he ran into, the older ones would scowl at him and refuse to strike a conversation with Kyle while the younger ones were more engaged. When he ran into Lola she led him outside the palace and into the city. That’s when he was met with whispers other than the Goddess’s, shy eyes chancing to get a glimpse of the pale skinned drow elf, while some treated him with as much animosity as some humans had. Though they didn’t hate him because he was a drow, they hated him because he wasn’t a blood elf. It was clear to see who was a supporter of Elizabeth’s ideas and who aligned with Damien, but despite their differences about the outside world, they got along among themselves, because in reality, all they had was each other to lean on.

The idea of becoming allied with the blood elves again sounded good, especially when Elizabeth expressed her true feelings about their profession of contract killing. She was right, blood elves weren’t welcomed anywhere in Larnion anymore after the murder of his brother, and those who were, they were carefully monitored to make sure nothing happened. At least, that’s what his people had done. Blood elves weren’t allowed in the main palace anymore and were watched like hawks. He soon wondered how Alice would be treated, remembering that he sent the other to find Stan. As long as he had Kyle’s missive, he’d be treated fairly.

* * *

The missive was secured in his breast pocket, hidden under his leathers. In Alice’s hand was a knife, and across his back was a bow.

He sank the knife into a nopal cactus after slicing off the needles, cutting it open and smelling the inside. That with the half-dozen fruits on the plant gave him something good to chew on as the rain drizzled down. It was the only area within a two mile radius that was raining, filling up the small bowl he put in front of his horse so she could drink the water that filled it. He hummed pleasantly while he carved out some more of the nopal pads, handing one of them to his horse and feeding her what he had.

“Good girl, you deserve the rest for now.” He praised, “You gotten me half way through the desert.”

The blood elf sat himself down onto the cracked, wet ground and enjoyed the rain, which was well needed after the entire day of running through the desert. He perked his head up after a while and saw the moon rising up from the distant mountains, towards the forest that was his intended target.

“It’s going to be a long night.” He said to himself, chuckling when his horse grunted out her opinion. Alice let himself relax as the rain proceeded to roll off of his hair and skin, dripping onto the malnourished ground. His eyes closed and he could already envision her, her beautiful sunflower hair and dazzling aquamarine eyes.

“I’m coming, my dear Princess.” He said to himself.


	5. Chapter 5

He never got to take in how beautiful the city looked when the sun was down, having passed out due to fatigue when he found it. The capital city was glowing in the firelights that were created down below, people still awake and lively, joined together in groups and chattering delightedly. He was still among the other blood elves, passing by as nighttime vendors set up stands to cater to the thirsty townsfolk. Kyle looked hesitant by this, almost nervous.

“It’s so lively…is there a festival?” He questioned his attendant, the girl giggling from the question.

“We have a festival, yes, but it isn’t for another fourteen nights. This night is spent to wind down after a full day’s work, we come together to partake in merriment and enjoy what the Goddess has given us.”

Kyle was bombarded by one of the women as Lola spoke, the blood elf handing him a cup full of something that smelled sweet. She winked playfully at him before another woman pulled her away, the two of them busting into giggles. “O-kay.” He blinked, looking down at his drink.

Lola chuckled at that, moving to take his drink from him to sip on it, thinking after a moment, “It is safe.” She said appraisingly, handing it back to him.

Kyle stared at her in shock, “Wh—you didn’t have to—“

“You are a King in a strange land, King Kyle, it is my duty to make sure you’re safe.”

That wasn’t something he really expected, coming from a land where everyone respected their King, something like that wasn’t practiced. He heard a faint whisper but ignored it for now. “Really, I’m alright.” He insisted, taking a gentle sip of his own drink. It went down warm, telling him right away that it was alcohol. “So…what is taking place in fourteen nights?”

Lola grinned, “One of our most lovely traditions, and I believe you’re being sought out by some women who seem interested.” She pointed them out, the few women that were looking his way.

Kyle sputtered in mid-drink, He cast his eyes among the other women, realizing they were sizing him up. “—you—they—they’re flirting with me?”

Lola nodded, winking, “Every year, we hold a festival on the new moon to celebrate the Goddess, we celebrate her giving us life by enjoying ours, and each other. Exotic men are quite popular with the younger ladies. They wish to meet with you then, you lucky man.”

_Exotic._ The word had him burst out laughing, a bundle of newfound nerves hitting him like a boulder in the gut, until a key word had him frozen stiff. “A _fertility_ festival?” He choked out. Holy Thearis he forgot all about that. No, no, this was bad. A fertility festival was the worst possible thing he could imagine.

The attendant didn’t see the dread creeping up on his features, giggling slightly, “You’ve actually come at the best possible time, King Kyle.”

He couldn’t handle this right now, not after everything he’s been through lately.During his own kingdom’s fertility festival he avoided everyone and everything like the plague. He avoided festivals in general, but this one was ten times _worse_. The flirty looks from the girls now looked like the most horrifying sight he could imagine.

He had to tell the Princess about this.

“Ooh!” Lola clasped her hands together, “King Kyle,” She nudged his shoulder quickly, pointing him up above the palace.

There was a faint sound of a melody being played that had everyone around him holding their tongues, their attentions moving upward to the palace’s highest tower. The melody slowly grew in strength, enrapturing everyone into the music that filled the air around them.

Kyle looked around at the people, how they were silent and still as the music continued, the calming melody filling his heart with emotions he hadn’t felt in years. Not since… He looked back towards the palace, not seeing anything other than the firelights coming from certain rooms. He leaned in close to Lola, frowning, “What’s going on?”

Lola smiled, “It’s the Princess.” She whispered back to him. “Every night she comes out to play. Some say it’s to honor her passing mother, others say she’s paying tribute to the Goddess. No one really knows.”

The music was loud enough that the entire city could hear her, but still quite soft, notes dancing in the air and joining the stars up above, as if she was playing up for the stars themselves. He was certain the Goddess could hear her as clearly as her own people could. His eyes finally found her form, lingering as she continued to play. He didn’t know Elizabeth could play the vielle, and he wouldn’t have expected her to be so breathtaking. He looked around once more, finding that couples were holding hands and elders were on their knees, praying to the Goddess with her music. He finally wondered if they were all outside because of her, waiting for her performance to the Heavens.

He could hear whispers float all around them, giving Kyle memories, pictures of nights past, different years, where Elizabeth had done the same, the looks on her people. They saw to her for advice, they sought after her like she was the Goddess herself.

When she finished everyone stayed silent, there was no applause, there wasn’t any recognition. It was like they didn’t want to break the spell she had placed upon her people. Even he couldn’t bring himself to sully this sacred moment, feeling the slight fluttering in his chest. This was the woman who invited him into her home, a woman who wished to change her kingdom and end the prejudice that her people were born into. The woman who was just a little girl, eleven years ago, laughing with him as they played in a fish pond.

He wondered what would have happened if Ike wasn’t killed by an assassin, if they were to marry when they came of age. Would the spell still linger, would her people be living as they did right now? Or would everything be different? Would he still be here, standing with her five years after his own murder. He didn’t know any of those answers, and the Goddess refused to tell him of the path that wasn’t taken. He only knew now, that he wanted to make things right again between their people. The blood elves deserved this much, Elizabeth deserved this much.

Deep inside of his heart was another question he wanted to ask, but he wasn’t ready to go down that road. Not just yet. The Princess belonged to her people, and he couldn’t think of being selfish at this point.

Not now.

Hopefully, though, sometime soon.

* * *

It had been a week since Alice had set off on his journey, having crossed the desert without a problem due to his ability to create rain. He had to keep to the trees if he wished to get to Larnion, the kingdom hidden inside the forests. He only dismounted his horse to set up camp and hunt for wolves, coming up lucky by crossing a pack that tried to hunt him down. He was an expert marksman in his own right, managing to hide in the trees and killing at least three of them before the rest of them had fled.

Three wolves were enough for him to make a blanket and a roll for his head to sleep on. It took him two days to get the scent of blood off the pelts, soaking them in a nearby stream. If it got any colder than he’d go hunting again, but he wasn’t anywhere near the mountains just yet.

He packed up the rest of the wolf meat into his horse’s satchel until a faint sound had him going still. He slowly took a hold of his knife, using his free hand to pet his startled horse. “Easy girl…” He soothed. “Come on out right now and I won’t throw my knife into your head.” He spoke up, finally turning towards the faint sound.

There wasn’t an answer, and Alice only quirked a grin. “Come on now, you’ve been watching me for at least two days. At least come out and bid me a warm welcome.”

They were hesitant, but eventually the soldier showed themselves, pointing his bow at Alice’s torso. The spy had rounded ears, clearly human. He wore a green cape and a blue helmet, and he didn’t look friendly in the slightest. “Put down your weapon.” He said in a strong voice.

“I’ll do it if you join me.” Alice winked at him, grinning from under the mask. “Otherwise, it’s not going to happen.”

“Are you the blood elf assassin that was sent to murder the Queen?” He questioned, “Because there’s no fucking way that you’re just out here for shits and giggles.”

Alice tilted his head, “Queen? No, I wasn’t contracted to kill a Queen.” He reached up to tilt his mask back, frowning confusedly, “Aren’t you a human?”

“I’m asking the questions here.” The human snarled, “What is a blood elf doing in the forests of Larnion?”

Alice waved his knife, “I thought we were going to disarm ourselves.”

The human lowered his bow and arrow slowly, but he still didn’t look trusting. “If you try anything funny, I have men all around this perimeter that will tear you apart. You won’t get out of here alive unless you turn yourself in peacefully.”

“Hey, I’d love to know who you are before I make a decision.” Alice took a step back, “Honestly, I’m not here to kill anyone. I don’t _do_ that.”

The man narrowed his eyes, “I am Stanley Marshwalker, captain of the castle guard. If I’m doing you a favor then do me one and state yours.”

Alice’s eyes widened, “ _Stan?_ Dude! I was told to find you!” He grinned widely, snapping his fingers. “Just—“

“TAKE AIM!” Stan commanded, and dozens of Larnion knights exposed themselves, arrows trained at Alice.

Alice froze up immediately, dropping his knife and raising his hands up slowly, “Okay, okay, given what I am, I guess that was the wrong choice of words.”

“Take him.” Stan commanded his men, six of them stepping forward to restrain the blood elf. Alice didn’t really have any choice but to let them capture him, smiling at the men who handled him roughly.

“Hey, dude, do me a favor and don’t hurt the horse. They’re like, sacred in my land.”

“Don’t hurt the horse.” Stan ordered them, “Take them both to the castle, and I want this one in a cell.”

One of the knights checked Alice’s person for any more weapons on his body.

“Don’t touch the bits unless you want me to kiss you later.” Alice warned him, winking playfully.

Stan shoved Alice along, groaning to himself. “He’s a talker, _great_.” He murmured.

“I’m more than just a talker, Stanny boy,” Alice continued, “But I’m already promised to another. It’s a shame, you’re a handsome man but a Prince has priorities to his Princess.”

“Wait!” Stan pulled Alice to a stop, “You’re a Prince?”

The brunette nodded, holding out his tied hands, “The name is Alice, I’m the second prince of the Xuzia kingdom. I’m actually sent here by my friend Kyle, you probably know him, he’s the King of Larnion.”

The group began to murmur.

“Larnion doesn’t have a King, you asshole. He’s dead. Has been for five years.” Stan said to him angrily, “We have a Queen, and her name is Kenny. We were told that a blood elf dog was coming to murder her, and then we find you in our forests, hunting our wolves.”

The more Alice listened the more he became confused, “Kenny is a…Queen?” He looked taken aback, unable to understand it. “My Princess is a Queen?”

Stan didn’t acknowledge him in the slightest, shoving him forward again.

“Wait!” Alice cried out, remembering what Kyle gave him, “Wait, dude, Stan. In my breast pocket there’s a letter, I need you to read it.” He raised his arms to point his thumbs to his leather armor, “It’s written for you.”

Stan thought about it for a moment, looking over at the knight holding him. “Check it.” He told the man.

The knight searched inside his leather armor, pulling out a rolled sheet of parchment. Stan snatched it away and opened it up to read it. Alice watched on, looking hopeful as the man read it over.

Stan thought for a moment, emotion flickering in his eyes. “T-This is bullshit.” He finally said, putting it away, “I want him in our finest cell, as he’s a _Prince_.” He quoted the word with his fingers, making the other knights laugh.

Alice didn’t say anything, mostly because there was a sword digging into his back. He rolled his eyes at Stan’s words, resigning himself to his fate in the cells.

Metal was easy to break down, so he didn’t really mind.

But the question remained.

How did his Princess end up as a Queen?

* * *

Out of everything Kyle missed about his home was his people. He worried about what could be happening to his kingdom. He couldn’t have stayed right after he found them, as the knights were trying to kill him. Seeing the look of seething anger in his best friend’s eyes was the worst part of being dead. If he didn’t leave, then he would have been killed by his own army.

If there wasn’t a King then how was Larnion fairing? Were his people doing well or were they struggling? What of his best friend? What was Stan doing? Would he be swayed by his missive? That letter contained secrets only the two of them knew, it would have to work on his side. He just had to hope that Alice was extra cunning to keep himself out of prison. It was the first time in his life that he actually supported someone breaking out of his own cells.

He continued to worry, but he also continued his presence as a guest. The blood elves were proving to be a close-knit community that reminded him of home, and despite the weary elders of the city, people were greeting his presence with warmth. The initial shock of seeing an exotic drow elf in their city had gone down, but he was still quite popular with the females, and some select males. It made the realization of what was to come up a dire one, because in a few days he would be facing something he didn’t want to deal with.

He had tried for at least ten days to tell Elizabeth about why he couldn’t participate in the festival, but it was something that made her busy as well as everyone else. The city was preparing for what was to come, and even the Princess was too busy to even spare a moment of her guest’s time. When she was available, however, it was during meals, and either she wished not to speak about the festival or Damien would be present and they would get into another argument.

That was another problem, _Damien_. Something about Damien screamed trouble, and by how he glared at Kyle with loathing for the first few days, it was clear that the man hated him. Although, after the fourth day something became different, and suddenly he was seeing the prince everywhere, staring at him as if he was calculating the King. It was a look that he recognized in his time as both a prince and a King, and it told him that Damien was planning something, and it had to do with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, the young princess training to become a Queen, a woman full of grace and eloquence that sometimes left him breathless. The nights she spent up on the tower to play her vielle began to entrance him as much as she entranced her people, and with every passing day he would hear stories about Xuzia’s favored Princess, her mere presence further adding to his curiosity. He began to notice little things about her, how if he struck up a conversation about music she could list a myriad of composers from the north, and how she knew about every kingdom in Zaron. Kupa Keep and their King, Canadia and their twin Kings, even Larnion and him and his parents. She studied up so well since the last time he had met her, it was amazing how much she knew. It was becoming his favorite thing to do, attending lunches and dinners to engage her in any topic that wasn’t the upcoming Festival. She had long since grown out of that shell of being the socially inept princess that he once knew, into a confident woman that could talk about everything and nothing.

Time was running out, and he needed her to know before it was too late. He was already beginning to feel it, the change, it was itching at his skin and reminding him of what was to happen. As the festival drew near and anticipations rose higher, avoiding the advances of the blood elf women was becoming harder to do.

_Shit_.

“Lola!” He found the girl chatting with a male, clearly asking for a date to the festival, as her reaction to his voice seemed embarrassed before she quickly apologized to the man and whispered something quickly in his ear.

“King Kyle!” She smiled nervously, “I assumed you were in the city.”

“Too many groupies.” Kyle told her quickly, “Uh…can we talk, in private?” The way she suddenly sputtered and waved her hands urgently told him she was taking it the wrong way, and Kyle groaned, “Not about _that_.” He stressed, “It’s something else.”

Lola looked relieved, taking him by the arm and leading Kyle into a small storage room. She turned over a couple of buckets so she could urge Kyle to sit while she sat on the other, “You don’t look well.” She told him, frowning. “Are you ill? Do you wish I take you to the healer instead?”

“I’m perfectly fine.” Kyle groaned, backtracking. “Health wise, it’s…actually…hard to say. Elizabeth, she has told you all about Larnion and the reigning Queen, did she?”

Lola nodded, “Oh yes, I was to learn about your kingdom once I was assigned to you, about the Queen and those before her.”

“Then…you would be knowledgeable about Queen Sheila’s heritage. Where she came from.” Kyle’s voice dropped to a whisper, “Her _Jersey blood_?”

Lola stilled, “ _Jersey_?”

Kyle nodded, “Her Jersey blood is what made her a ruthless warrior, she was born there.”

“I thought Jersey was a myth!” Lola’s voice rose, but Kyle quickly clasped his hands over her mouth, his eyes wide.

“Shh!” He whispered, “Jersey isn’t a myth, it’s real. The Guidos are real, my mother is— _was_ —a pure blooded Guidette, and that blood has passed down to me.”

Lola stared at him wide-eyed, “But they’re bloodthirsty warriors—“

Kyle shrugged helplessly, “I’m not happy about it, but…there’s a problem coming up and I can already feel it. My mother, she was able to control her Jersey blood, and she trained me to do the same, but there’s a big problem. It comes with every festival, and the Jersey side of us take over, and our inhibitions kinda…go away.”

The color drained from Lola’s face, “The stories are true? Guidos and Guidettes blinded by a frenzy during celebrations and lay waste to anything in their path?”

Kyle shied his eyes away, “Actually—it can go one to two different ways.” He didn’t really like talking about it, and it was clear how uncomfortable he was. “With what’s supposed to happen, I could either get super aggressive and rage war on the men or I’ll set my sights on the women and try to fuck every one I find.” He cringed after saying it, “Fertility festivals are the worst for me, because it’s always the latter of the two and…let’s just say in my land I avoided them like the plague. Parties aren’t my friend.”

The girl had no idea what to say to that, looking justifiably alarmed, “This is a serious matter, King Kyle, why are you telling me and not warning the Princess?”

“Because every time I try to bring up the Fertility festival then she changes the subject!” Kyle whined, “I’m doing my best to warn her, but she won’t listen. I just need help, Lola. I need to be locked up somewhere, a cell or anything, some place that I can’t get out of. It works perfectly in Larnion, and I had a special room for that time, a room without windows and extra locks, a bed…all I need is to be secluded.”

Lola frowned, “You won’t be the only one, King Kyle. Princess Elizabeth doesn’t partake in the festival as well.”

Kyle blinked, “She doesn’t? But, she’s planning everything.”

The woman smiled apologetically, “The only one that partakes in the Fertility festival are the princes, but they only celebrate. They do not partake. The Princess only plans for her people to have a grand festival. There’s a strict law inside Xuzia that states that the High Priestess does not sully herself with anyone and stays pure for the Goddess until she is married, and if she did, then she risks her title and her place in society.”

Kyle nodded slowly, glancing away and blushing at the words. He was doing his best not to picture Elizabeth in that light but the Jersey part of him was making it difficult to focus on anything else. “She’s one _mint cookie_.”

There was a moment of silence where the two of them just stared at each other, and Kyle went pale, realizing that those words were _not_ his normal vernacular. “Holy Thearis.” He said horribly.

“What …is a _mint cookie_?” Lola looked confused.

Kyle slapped his hands over his face, “Nothing, nothing, it means nothing, you didn’t hear that.” He groaned loudly, “You may go now. J-Just…prepare me a secure room for the festival.”

Lola nodded, smiling down at him as she stood. “I’ll tell someone to get on it.” She opened the door and slipped out, a giggle escaping her.

She didn’t make it around the corner without running into someone, almost bumping into Damien. “E-excuse me, your highness!” Her demeanor changed instantly and she became cowed, smiling nervously at him.

Damien only stared at her, narrowing his eyes slightly before quirking a small grin. “Go.” He commanded, watching the blood elf skitter away quickly. The Prince took about two steps forward, stopping at the storage room door and staring at it for a moment.

A passing thought made him grin even wider, and he began to whistle, stepping away from the door and skipping slightly in his steps down the hall.

His future was looking a little better.

* * *

The cells were at least decent and well maintained. Alice could remember two other cells in his lifetime, when he was just being tested. His first one was a piss-poor cell with feces all over the place, as if the people kept their prisoners like caged animals. It was a human run cell, and they treated him horribly before he escaped. The last cell he was in had a chamber pot, thankfully, and actual food instead of him having to gut rats for one meal, but it wasn’t as nice as this drow run cell.

First of all, they allowed in light. It was bright in the daylight, giving you a sense of time. The cells they had were inside towers and not built underground. The walls were white, not stone gray or muddy brown and it smelled cleaner than the other cells he frequented. He was given a blanket so he could be warm, and there was hay on the floor to cushion his body. They even changed his chamber pot, which was something he’s never seen before. Who knew that the drow actually had a better opinion of their prisoners than the humans did? Just because you were being locked up doesn’t mean you should be cruel, unless you were being held for murder charges, there was no reason not to be hospitable.

However, he might have gotten the special treatment because he was a prince, or maybe because they couldn’t prove that he was out to kill the Queen. He couldn’t imagine doing any of that, killing. Killing the love of his life? No, of course not. But why was she the Queen of Larnion? He didn’t understand it, and he realized far too late that he didn’t ask Kyle for details as to why and how his lovely princess became Queen. It meant that she married Kyle, didn’t it? If so then his heart felt heavy, though the whispers that fluttered around him, the translucent butterflies that seemed to tell him otherwise. He still couldn’t understand them, Her. She was trying to tell him something this entire time, and the whispers and the want to see his Princess was what kept him from turning his metal cell bars into sand and breaking out of the tower. A blood elf like him was difficult to restrain, especially when he had alchemy on his side.

Despite the want to find his lovely Princess (Queen), he had no real way of confronting her. The drow kept her well guarded on the outside of the tower, and there was probably Stan Fucking Marshwalker at her side. That _douchenozzle_. It was a shame that Stan didn’t like him, because he seemed like someone he could drink with, maybe share a bottle of wine, or something harder.

Alice sighed to himself. Man, he was going to miss the _festival_.

It was early morning when two armed guards entered his tower, and behind him was a petite woman in luxurious pink silken robes, long golden-blonde hair that was braided on each side, wearing a golden circlet with an amethyst jewel. And just as he remembered them, her eyes were a perfect shade of blue, aquamarine, just like the jewels.

Alice had stood up right at the sight of her, removing his mask and exposing his own heterochromic eyes. Their eyes met and whispers met their ears, surrounding the two of them.

_“Will we meet again?”_

_“If the Goddess wants us to.”_

“Alice.” Kenny’s voice broke the spell first, and she slowly approached the cell. The man pulled on a smile, setting his hands on the bars.

“My Princess grew into a Queen.” He said softly, watching her turn pink at the words.

The two guards at Kenny’s side didn’t seem so charmed as she was, glaring at him with ire. Alice chanced to reach out for her hand, only for one of the guards to get between them. “You will not touch our Queen with your filthy hands!” The first one hissed out.

Kenny suddenly didn’t like her company. “I want to be left alone with the prisoner.” She said then, looking at her two guards. They quickly stared at her, shocked.

“You’re not safe alone, my Queen.” The one said.

“He’s a blood elf, he will murder you!” The second cried out.

“Leave.” She hissed out at them, “No one is murdering me today.” She glared at them until the two guards left, the woman waiting for the door to shut before she stepped closer to the cell, her face softening once she knew she was alone with him. “I was told you were sent here to kill me.”

“Didn’t I tell you before, people often spout lies.” Alice reached out again to touch her hand, her own being still before her fingers eventually threaded with his. “I’m sure you remember what I told you.” He mused.

_“When I come of age I refuse to kill anyone, even if it’s my birthright.”_

Kenny nodded, her eyes lingering on his, “If you’re not here to kill me, then why are you here?” She was curious, because Xuzia was so far from Larnion.

Alice thought about it, figuring that he should just come out and say it. “Kyle told me to come here.”

Kenny stilled, her eyes going wide and her fingers slipped away, “K-Kyle…but Kyle is—“

“I know.” Alice said before she could finish it. “Believe me, I was there when I spoke with him. He smelled like death, I hoped my sister told him to bathe.” He quirked a small smile. “But nonetheless, it is him.”

Kenny searched Alice’s eyes for a hint of a lie but she found none, realizing that the Kyle she had found in the mausoleum was actually the real one…which meant… She felt a cold chill go down her spine at the implications, feeling a wave of guilt flood over her. “W-what did he tell you?” She whispered.

“He told me that he wanted to convince you that he wasn’t dead, so he sent me here to find you…” He watched her reactions, how she nearly look frightened now. The gears in his head began to turn, “Is there something I need to know?”

Kenny shut her eyes, unable to stare into his any longer. “He made me do it!” Her voice rose. “The Wizard King, Prince Fatass—“

“King Eric…”

“I didn’t want to marry him, but he told me he’d kill my sister if I didn't.” She began to ramble, looking away, “I was made into a princess so I could marry into the Broflovski family, but I had no idea what was going to happen next. When the wedding came He gave me away, but I knew something was wrong. The Goddess kept whispering. I didn’t know what it meant, I couldn’t understand her, but then the reception came and we were served wine and suddenly—“ Kenny opened her eyes again and now they were wet with tears, “Alice I have to tell you something…” She reached up to her hair and pulled it out of the way to expose her ears, mainly the shape of them. Alice’s eyes fell upon the ear, following the shape and putting two and two together.

_Orc._

“They poisoned you.” He said then.

She nodded, crying silently, “ _Yes_.” She reached out to take his hand again, almost desperately. She was afraid that he would leave, be torn away from him as he was before. “But the only difference was that I woke up the next day. Kyle didn’t.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“The Wizard King used you to kill Kyle.” Alice surmised, feeling anger bubble up from his chest. “I’ll end him.”

“No!” Kenny gasped out, reaching for the bars. “He has my family.”

“What more can he want from you?” Alice’s voice rose as his anger, and Kenny shook her head.

“He wants the Stick, but so far no one can find it. He won’t let them go until I give it to him.” She brushed the tears from her cheeks, “That’s the only reason why I’m here…”

Alice did his best to get his anger under control, watching her for a while, finding her hands and interlocking their fingers, “Who told you that I was sent here to kill you?” His voice was gentle now. He watched Kenny lean against the bars, and he met her halfway, their foreheads pressing together.

She bit her lip for a moment, thinking, “Someone who’s working with Eric…he told me that a blood elf was coming to kill me. He wouldn’t specify who.” She raised her head then, “I didn’t know it would be you…”

Alice smiled down at her, “Surprise, my love.”

“Seeing you gives me hope.” She replied, tearing up again. “This time…can it not be pretend?”

Alice tilted his head curiously, but then he remembered. A grin slowly spread from his face and he took her hand, pulling it further into the cell before kneeling down, kissing the top of it.

“One contract at the price of a kiss.” He said softly, smiling up at her.

Kenny blushed, wanting to pull him forward for a better kiss, but before she could do anything—

“My Queen!” Stan’s voice cried out from the door, the human marching inside with a sword in his hand. “Why are you in here alone with a blood elf?” He quickly pulled Kenny back to hide her behind himself, aiming the sword at his chest. “They’re nothing but dirty liars.”

Alice glared at him, standing back up. “I take offense to that!”

Kenny shook her head quickly, shoving Stan aside, “Everything is fine. He’s of no threat to us.” She smiled up at Stan, “I contracted with him.”

Stan looked bewildered at the statement, “You _WHAT_?”

Kenny’s eyes glittered mischievously, sparing a glance back at Alice, “You know about the rules of blood elves, they’re loyal to those who they contract with until their contractor releases them.”

Alice shrugged, “You would know if you’d ever try it.” He purred at the knight, “I’m also available for personal favors, we don’t just contract for killing.” He caught Kenny blushing furiously and winked when she turned his way, becoming amused.

Stan went red, narrowing his eyes at Alice and snarling at him, “I would never dirty my hands with the likes of you.” He hissed out.

The blood elf whistled out pleasantly, “Pot calling the kettle black, aren’t you?” He commented.

“What?” He growled.

Alice pointed to his ears, “You’re a human, someone that normally, the drow aren’t friendly with, and they have accepted you into their fold. I would assume that someone like _you_ wouldn’t be so racist with someone like _me_.”

Stan glowered at him, “You and I are entirely separate matters, blood elf. Do NOT compare us.”

Kenny narrowed her eyes slightly at Stan but kept her words to herself, sighing out eventually and stepping over to her knight. “I would appreciate a key.” She said softly.

“No need.” Alice commented casually, cracking his knuckles and breathing in slowly. He laid his hands on the cell lock before him and concentrated, opening his eyes when the metal lock before him broke down into actual metal granules, falling freely onto the floor away from his hands.

Stan and Kenny watched him with wide, stunned stares, Kenny almost stepping back into Stan out of her own shock. “What did you just do?”

Alice’s eyes brightened, “I’m an alchemist! I can manipulate matter and turn it into something else entirely. Also, if you need some stained glass windows call me, I can make them pretty easy with some lightning and sand.” He grinned then, sliding the cell door open and stepping out.

Something clattered to the floor, Stan turning back to see Kenny’s two guards staring at the scene with frozen shock before one of them fainted.

Alice laughed pleasantly.


	6. Chapter 6

Two weeks from the day they found him, Kyle felt like he was about to jump out of his own skin. He hated that feeling, the scrambled thoughts and bursts of aggression at anything the least bit annoying. He found himself screaming at Damien earlier that morning, calling him a _grenade grundle chode_ in front of Elizabeth and two other servants. No one knew what in Zaron he just said but it shut the noirette up entirely and he retreated from the room.

The look on Elizabeth’s face was the only good part about it, and that laugh, that heavenly laugh.

Goddess, he was slowly losing it. If he wasn’t lashing out verbally and throwing Jersian insults at people he was daydreaming about the Princess, sudden words popping into his head like thinking that she was _fresh to death_ and wondering if they had a _vibe_ going on.

He had to thank Lola later for getting another room prepared for him for that night. She made sure it was located away from the rest of the palace and made sure to have a bed moved in. It was technically a wine cellar, but it lacked windows and had enough locks for his own safety. Yes, there was wine, and a whole fuckton of it, but it was the best she could do under such short circumstances. He couldn’t complain and hoped that they would understand if he unintentionally drank some.

The entire day was spent avoiding Elizabeth like the plague, and other women for that matter, and the men, and Damien, _especially_ Damien. No, he was better off hiding in his own makeshift bedroom with a collection of books from the palace library, getting strange looks from the cooks that came in to retrieve a bottle or two before leaving quickly at the sight of his irritable glare.

When the cooks had stopped popping in after some time, he figured the festival was beginning and everyone was leaving the palace. He breathed a sigh of relief.

All he had for light was an oil lantern, as it was pitch black everywhere else and slightly cold, as wine cellars were. He was content with reading until he lost the need to actually read from a book when his change would begin, and just waiting for it to happen was a pain in the ass. Becoming Kyley-B was a horrible experience, something that made him feel like he was living inside himself, his Jersian self taking over only to discover he was locked up, beginning to scream for anyone to let him out so he can party. At least, that’s how he remembered the last few times. All Kyley-B wanted to do was party, _smush_ , and get into a fight with someone who looked at him sideways.

A horrendous experience.

Kyle was starting to get twitchy, knowing that he was locked in a room with all this wine. He didn’t need to go out and party, he could have such a bitchin’ blast right in this room. All he needed was a hot _cookie_ that was _DTF_ and he’d be super set for the night.

Suddenly the book didn’t interest him anymore, and he tossed it onto the bed. “I’m fucking thirsty.” He said to himself, finally picking up the oil lamp to browse the selection of wines. “Holy fucking shit this is a treasure trove!” He cried out.

“Is someone locked in there?” A distant voice mumbled from beyond the door. Kyle’s gaze turned 360 towards the heavy wooden door a few feet above him. He recognized that voice.

“Fuck,” He hissed out, “Liz?” Why was she here?

“That sounds like Kyle—what the fuck is Kyle doing in the wine cellar?” The woman hissed out, and soon the locks were being manhandled.

“I don’t fucking know!” Damien’s voice joined her, “All I was told was that we needed wine and the fucking cooks were gone for the night. This is a festival, we need wine, I’m doing my best to be civil with you.”

“I swear this is the only night when you actually forget you’re a complete _asshole_ to me and my brother.” A chain dropped.

“I _am_ your brother!”

Kyle’s eye twitched, stepping over towards the door with a bottle in his hand. His brain was screaming at him to keep her out. “Liz?”

“I’m almost there, Kyle!” Another chain dropped. “Why is this door so locked up?”

“Just fucking hurry up.” Damien growled out impatiently, and a third chain dropped.

“N-no, no, not now.” Kyle whined, his breaths coming in shallow. Either it was a panic attack or he was finally losing it, and all he needed to do was keep his bearings.

“Finally.” Elizabeth jarred open the door and pushed it open, grunting slightly since it was so heavy. “Now what the—Kyle!” Her eyes widened and she stumbled down the steps, rushing over to him. “Damien, get over here and be useful.” She called out to him.

Kyle groaned, “Liz—“

“Damien!” She hissed out when he didn’t reply. “Brother!”

“I’ll see you two in the morning.” Damien said jovially, grinning from the door before pulling the heavy wood back into place.

Elizabeth cried out and left Kyle’s side, climbing the steps and trying her best to get the door open, “DAMIEN!” She screamed, trying to pry it open but the chains were already being put back in place. She let out another enraged scream and began throwing herself against the wood, hoping to break the door. She started to panic when the chains clinked against each other, keeping the door from moving entirely. “DAMIEN!”

Elizabeth leaned against the door, her voice hoarse from screaming. She glared heatedly at the wood and thunked her head against the door. Why would he do this? Why would Damien go out of his way to lock her and—

Kyle.

Elizabeth scrambled to her feet and looked around, finding nothing but the oil lamp. “Kyle?”

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”

It sounded like Kyle, but there was a strange accent to his voice. Elizabeth stepped towards where it came from, using the oil lamp to guide herself around two large barrels, “Kyle?”

“A classic beauty that only the Goddess can create!”

Elizabeth rose the oil lamp just slightly, frowning. “Are you drunk?”

Kyle came out of the darkness, effectively making her cry out but he laughed, taking the lamp from her hands to spin her around. “Yeah, I’m drunk, babe. Drunk on life! This night is about celebratin’. You and me, babe, we got all this wine, let’s just drink and dance.”

She smacked him, hard.

“Fuck!” He recoiled instantly, rubbing his cheek but grinning. “Feisty, You never were a softie. Common Liz, I’m sure we have a _vibe_ goin on, don’t ya feel it?”

The situation was becoming strange, and Elizabeth instinctively backed up, trying to think fast. The voice was reminiscent of earlier that day, when Kyle exploded on Damien as they were arguing. He called him something neither of them heard of, like another language entirely.

“Kyle, are you Kyle right now?” Elizabeth asked him slowly.

The man only smiled slyly at her, leaning against one of the barrels, “That’s my given name, but they call me Kyley-B. You, however, can call me anything you want.” He winked, throwing finger-guns at her.

Elizabeth laughed hesitantly, “Well, um…Kyley-B,” She grimaced at the name, “Where are you from?” She had to treat him like he was someone else entirely. This Kyle was someone different.

“Ever hear of Jersey, babe?” He questioned casually, “My Ma, she was pretty popular in Jersey — Goddess bless her soul —“ He put a hand over his heart, “I got her looks, ya know, I got such a baby face.”

Well, shit.

Elizabeth breathed in, racking her brain. She read about Jersey, she read about people who came from Jersey. They were all warriors, natural born fighters with hot blood running through their veins. The women were more aggressive than the men. What else did she learn? Just what? Parties… they loved to party… they went out in groups… What else?

The more she was wracking her brain for answers the closer Kyley-B had gotten to her, close enough to take her hand and kiss the top of it, and a sudden recollection struck her in the face.

They always wanted to _smush_.

Elizabeth jumped away as soon as he was finished and kept a wide berth, “Okay, right, you…you fancy me, okay.” She kept a good distance from him, smiling nervously, “But, you see, you’re not in Jersey, you’re in Xuzia, and here it plays out differently.” She didn’t know where she was going with this, her heart was thundering in her chest. This had never happened before, this was why she avoided the Fertility festival in the first place. She assumed she’d just be providing her people with some wine and returning to her little closed off room to wait for the next morning and now she was locked inside a room with a male Jersian and thankfully he was being a gentleman about his intentions.

Her eyes widened suddenly, realizing what was happening. Damien had intentionally locked her into this room with Kyle, and Kyle was here to keep others safe from himself. Why else would a bed be in a fucking wine cellar with three study chains wrapped around the door? That fucking asshole, her brother was a demon. Elizabeth turned to one of the barrels and screamed again, kicking it as hard as she could. “You fucking monster!” She cried out. “You asshole, bastard!” She continued kicking the barrel, proceeding to slam her hands against the wood. “When I get out of here I’m going to murder you!”

“Liz!” Kyle cried out, and suddenly he was hugging her from behind, tight but not overpowering. “Breathe, babe. Just—fuck him.” He spat, “Fuck that piece of shit he ain’t worth anything!”

Elizabeth let out a shaky breath and almost collapsed, but Kyle managed to hold onto her and slowly settle her against him, both of them sitting on the floor. “I can’t believe I believed him…” She whispered, “This festival is a sacred holiday, we are supposed to come together!”

“Your bro’s a real piece of work, Liz.” Kyle hugged her tight.

Elizabeth looked over at him, biting her lip. “Kyle?”

“It’s me, Liz.” He reassured her, “Just because I’m all hot and ready doesn’t mean I ain’t lost my head. Fuck Damien.”

Elizabeth sighed, looking towards the only light in the room. “Why didn’t you tell me you had Jersey blood?”

“I fuckin’ tried, Liz. You refused to listen. Goddess, you don’t know how much I’m holding myself back.” He brushed a hand through her hair, “You fuckin’ drive me crazy.”

Elizabeth didn’t know what to say about that, and she had to re-think her findings. She was wrong. This was still Kyle, a more passionate and aggressive Kyle, but it was still him. “We’re stuck in here for the night.” She said, “He probably expected you to attack me.”

Kyle’s face twisted in disgust, “The next time I see that fuckin’ bastard I’m gonna beat him blind.” He reached up to squeeze her shoulder, “I ain’t a monster, Liz, you’re a classy broad and you deserve respect.”

She sighed at that, leaning against him slightly and finally relaxing. “If I have to be stuck inside this room with anyone, I would have wanted it to be you.” She said softly. “I don’t tire of your presence and you make me laugh. You always made me laugh.”

Kyle leaned against the wooden barrel, taking in her spiced perfume. It was taking everything he had to keep his hands to himself, and all he wanted to do was know what she tasted like. “So we do have a _vibe_ goin’ on.” He commented with a small grin.

Elizabeth suddenly laughed, a nervous and awkward laugh that she felt embarrassed of instantly. “I—if…maybe…I…guess.” She instantly regretted the laugh and finally leaned against Kyle fully now, setting her head on his chest. “I remember when they said we were to marry at first, and I was so against it…” She chuckled, “I don’t really know what happened between then and a few years later but I ended up looking forward to it.” She paused for a moment, looking away. “I’ve found myself hoping for more than just an alliance.”

Kyle reached up to brush her hair from her ear, “Feelin’s mutual, babe. Goddess, you started gettin’ in my head after I heard yas on that vielle. You’re a fuckin’ enchantress, Liz.”

The Princess became red at that, “I…do that for my people… they’ve come to expect it of me, and it allows them a break from their daily chores. It never began that way, I…I was just out there one night and suddenly when it was all over everyone was outside, watching me by the firelight.”

Kyle couldn’t help himself now, leaning in to smell the perfume on her neck. Holy Thearis, don’t lose it entirely.

Elizabeth felt his nose on her neck and she breathed in sharply, biting her lip. Outside everyone was coupling and celebrating the Goddess, and she was forbidden to do so. How could she not celebrate along with her people, especially since the Goddess sent her Kyle. She knew it deep down in her soul that Kyle was someone special, ever since she met him. But she knew Damien’s plan, and he wanted her to get caught in the act, to prove that she wasn’t pure after tonight, from a stupid old law that was put in without _her_ permission by older blood elves that had no say in her own body. It wasn’t up to them who she chose as a partner, it was her decision and hers alone. Her purity meant nothing in the eyes of the Goddess.

Her heart was beating in her ears when she felt lips on her neck, and she couldn’t help the shiver that went up her spine. Kyle was trying to be so good in controlling himself, it must have been excruciating for him. Under all of these circumstances she couldn’t find reason to keep him at a distance. He was right, they had a mutual attraction, and tonight was to celebrate and give in to those attractions. She took a deep breath and shifted in his lap until she was facing him, staring into his eyes. They were still clear, vibrant and reminding her of peridots, lighter than her own.

The Goddess _wanted_ them together.

“You can stop holding yourself back.” She whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips softly.

Kyle groaned into the kiss, not expecting any of this. He cupped her face with his hands and returned it with growing desperation. She was allowing this to happen, she wanted this. That’s all he needed right now.

The night became a blur after that, a whirlwind of raw emotions and blissful sensations. By the time someone came to unlock the cellar door, there were empty bottles of wine littered all over the floor and clothing haphazardly strewn everywhere. In the small bed was Kyle and Elizabeth, cuddled up against each other due to the size of the bed. It was the rustling of the chains that drew them back from their sleep, their heads aching slightly from the night before.

Elizabeth didn’t move from her position, already resigning her fate to being caught in bed with the drow King. She didn’t really care that she had given her brother what he wanted, but she did it on her own terms, not his.

She gently shook Kyle further awake, and the ginger groaned, holding his head slightly and wondering how much he had to drink. When his memory flooded with images from the night before he stilled, his breath caught in his throat before turning to face his companion. “Liz?” He choked out.

Elizabeth pulled on a small smile for him, pointing him to the door. “Be prepared, Kyle.”

Kyle looked towards the door, hearing voices. “Why?”

Elizabeth sat up further, “We’re about to be exiled.”

* * *

He had forgotten how much the sunrise in Larnion was more beautiful than sunrise in Xuzia, and Alice sat on the balcony of his room to watch it, smiling faintly as he turned his attention down onto the inner workings of the palace walls, mainly the training session that was going on underneath him. Stan was down there, overseeing his men and barking out his attention to detail. It reminded him of his own brother, how he oversaw the palace guard and loathed to have anyone be less than perfect.

He had a wonderful night prior, celebrating the festival in his own way with some wine and a secret visit to his lovely Queen’s room from the window, as Stan was outside behind the door. It was a magical night in his opinion, something he loved to think back on and smile over. He wondered how his siblings were getting on without him, questioning if they were warring without his presence. He was able to be the neutral party between Damien and Elizabeth, calming them both down before their fights escalated any further. Poor Kyle, he thought, he was left alone with the two siblings that loathed each other. He hoped neither of them tore Kyle into shreds.

There was nothing to do about that, and Alice let that thought slip out of his mind. His eyes were still on the dawning sun, the wonderful splashes of red, orange, and yellow on the horizon. He slipped his hand into his leather shirt and pulled out a pan flute. He carried it with him everywhere, a present given to him from his mother. The morning was too beautiful not to give it reverence, and he began to play, creating a beautiful song that matched the beautiful morning.

The music wafted from above and filled the crisp morning air, bringing smiles to elven faces around the palace and effectively distracting the training guards. They broke into grins and looked for the source of the pretty music, one of the elves pointing upward to the farthest balcony where the blood elf was sitting.

The Queen’s blood elf, a man who was untouchable now that he was contracted. A prince as well, proven by the tattoo on his wrist. Gossip about Alice spread all around the castle, whispers turning into plain curiosity or hesitant fear. Stan hated the blood elf prince, scowling up at the source of such beautiful music before snapping at his men, “Remember where you are!” He barked out to them, gritting his teeth in annoyance to the distracting music. His back straightened and he snapped his fingers towards one of his men, “Continue training, I’ll be right back.” He growled, storming off back towards the castle.

He caught a pair of servants dancing in the courtyard, groaning begrudgingly at the pure mirth coming from a man who wasn’t to be trusted. Couldn’t they see that he was just toying with them? Blood elves were nothing but double-faced liars that charmed their way into the hearts of innocents before destroying them from the inside-out. They were worse than the humans, they were on par with vermin and the lowest of the low. The way that the Queen just contracted with him without hesitation irked him beyond belief, and ever since then he never allowed those two to be alone together, blood elf honor or not. Blood elves had no honor, in his opinion.

When he made it up to Alice’s room he didn’t knock, practically kicking open the door. “You’re distracting my men!” He shouted at the other.

Alice blew out one last fluttering note before glancing back, laughing. “I’m honoring the Goddess, Stan. Haven’t you noticed the beautiful morning we have? It’s all on her.”

Stan’s eye twitched, “Okay, first of all, stop using my name like we’re _friends_.” He watched Alice tumble off the balcony, “Second of all, I’m not out there to bask in the beauty of nature, if you had eyes you could see what I was doing.”

Alice smirked at him, “Forcing your men to wake before dawn for training? That’s sad. My brother waits until after dawn before readying our men. Dawn itself is for recollection and giving thanks to the Goddess that we are alive.”

“What does Thamera say about her sons and daughters killing innocents for coin?” He asked then, glaring at him.

Alice fixed a smile, nodding slowly. He was beginning to understand why he was so hated by the human. “Blood elves, we don’t kill people with malice, we end the lives of those who deserve it. Murderers, thieves, corrupt kings, we make contracts to those who cannot do it themselves. Our practice might seem dirty and cruel, but we do it justly with a conscience.”

Alice’s words had Stan seething with anger, and suddenly he lashed out, throwing his fist for Alice’s face and striking the other down. Alice couldn’t react fast enough, or that he just didn’t try, and the blood elf was on the floor, rubbing his eye and looking up at the angered knight.

“You kill those who deserve it? What decides who deserves senseless murder?” Stan cried out, “He didn’t do _anything_! Neither of them did! They were farmers and even my sister— _my best friend’s brother_ —“ He stopped himself, dropping down to his knees and grabbing Alice by the collar of his leathers. “What did my family do that deserved a blood elf running a blade through their throats?” He snarled at the other, “What made an innocent _ten year old boy_ so corrupt that he deserved to die?”

Alice narrowed his eyes, reaching out for the other’s tunic and pulling him down, shifting his weight so he was on top of the other and pinning down Stan’s arms with his own. Suddenly that anger was gone, replaced with stone-cold fear, as if Alice was about to gut him like his people did his family.

“If you’re to blame _anyone_ for the deaths of your family, or the young prince, blame the fucking fool that contracted our people.” He hissed out dangerously, “We contract to provide for our own people, we take care of our own children. We aren’t perfect and we don’t try to be! If you wish to loathe someone, then loathe the fucking bastard who deceived one of our own to murder an innocent.” He let go of Stan then, getting up off of the other. “It’s people like _them_ that sully a century’s old tradition and twist it into something I’ve come to hate.” He spat.

Stan sat up slowly, his eyes narrowed at the other, “Why continue with your barbaric practice if you hate it so much? You’re a fucking _prince_ , you have the power to put an end to it!”

Alice laughed hollowly, shaking his head. “You say that so easily, like such a thing is so simple. You sound just like my sister, Stan. Liz, she’s training to become the next Queen, and she believes the same thing you do. She loathes the practice as well, and she wants to change all of it. Talking about it is one thing, but actually doing it? It’s erasing an ancient tradition from our people, something not everyone agrees with. It’s like trying to teach a horse how to speak. The idea sounds lovely but practicing it gets you nowhere.” He smiled sadly at Stan. “Trust me, I would love to see it end, but not even a prince or a King can take it away.”

Stan got to his feet, stepping closer to Alice. “If you love to see it end then why were you here to kill the Queen?” He asked lowly.

“You still believe that shit rumor.” The brunette smirked a little, “What brought me here is what I had given you the first moment we crossed paths. I’m contracted with Kyle of the family Broflovski, Stan. He wished for me to go to you specifically.”

Stan’s hands were shaking and he stepped back, “You’re lying _again_!” He cried out. “Kyle of the family Broflovski is dead! I should know! I was there when he died!”

Alice quirked a brow. “No, man, he’s alive. I saw him myself.” He gestured with his hands, “This tall, this thin, wild-ass red hair?”

Stan winced a little and reached out to grab his arm, leading the blood elf down the hall without a word. They walked for a while, down marble staircases and even further down into a level that Alice hasn’t been inside. When they came to a stop they were behind a pair of large white double doors.

Alice looked around, “What is this?”

“The mausoleum. A sacred burial ground containing our beloved Queen Sheila and King Gerald, and their sons, Prince Isaac, and King Kyle.” He gently opened the door, leading Alice further inside. “You keep claiming you were sent here by our King, but it’s impossible, as our King is buried inside his tomb.” He gestured to the center tomb that was decorated with garlands, displaying Kyle’s full name etched in marble.

Alice swallowed thickly, crouching down to actually feel the stone, “No, Elizabeth told me he’s the real deal.” He stared up at Stan with a weird look, “Dude, help me out. How can you say Kyle is in this tomb when my sister is with him right now?”

Stan pursed his lips, listening to the other, “You were deceived, a month ago we had someone entering our castle also claiming to be the deceased King. He looked just like Kyle…” He kept himself from shedding a tear at the memory, his voice cracking. “He looked _so much_ like him, but—but it couldn’t have been him. Kyle is dead, and this man was attempting to besmirch his name.” He took a shaky breath, “You must have ran into the one who appeared to us. That one is lying to you.”

Alice shook his head, and stood back up, “No one would impersonate a dead King and go all the way to venture into Xuzia to find our people. My sister would have noticed the deception, she’s one with Thamera. They can see through lies.”

An ugly feeling twisted in Stan’s gut. “The dead can’t come back to life, blood elf, it’s not possible.”

“Something like that is entirely possible, Stan.” Alice looked at him fully now, “I know personally.”

Stan couldn’t look away from Kyle’s tomb, unsure of what to think. “What makes you say that?” He asked in a wavering voice.

“My brother’s a necromancer, that’s why.”


	7. Chapter 7

The sight of Damien sitting so languidly on her father’s throne made her sick, smirking at her and Kyle as if he had just won the lottery. That conniving asshole, she knew why he looked so happy right now. He had wanted her position ever since father took favor on her instead of him, and now she had been caught in bed with an outsider.

The six elders sat on Damien’s left and right, glaring down at her as if she had been tainted. They were assholes as well, because she didn’t believe that they didn’t have a hand in this. They only favored Damien because he wanted to keep their traditions pure and isolate their people.

Kyle stood at her side, looking ashamed of actually having done what he had done. She knew he was blaming himself for this, trying to catch her eyes every so often. Elizabeth’s glare never wavered. “So you have us.” She spoke up.

“I never expected that I’d find my dear, dear sister forfeiting her purity for a traitorous outsider.” Damien drawled, “Oh, what is _father_ going to think when he finds out what you did?”

“What about you?” She ground out. “You’re the one who trapped me in there with Kyle!”

Damien pulled on an innocent smile, “Me? But, there’s no witnesses to that, dear sister. However, there’s plenty of witnesses that saw both of you in the same bed with no shame. It’s so obvious what had happened. What a travesty.”

The elders began to whisper amongst themselves, as did the others who were seated for their trial.

Kyle knew everyone was staring at him, and he hated it. There was nothing he could say to defend himself.

“Also,” Damien continued, “To allow a half-blooded Jersian into our home? That’s too reckless even for you, Elizabeth. You put your own people in _danger_.” He tutted.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at Damien, “He was well aware of his own dangers, which was why he was locked in that wine cellar to begin with!”

“ _With you_.” He commented, smirking. “I didn’t know you fancied such…aggressive and dangerous men. What a sinful priestess.”

The whispers intensified into shocked murmurs, and Kyle resigned to staring at his feet.

An elder leaned towards Damien and whispered into the man’s ear, and the other nodded. “Oh, there’s also the transgression of your little friend being deceitful himself. How this Drow had smooth talked his way into taking advantage of our hospitality.”

Elizabeth knew what he was talking about, and so did Kyle, the latter of the two going pale while the princess only folded her arms.

“What are you talking about?” Elizabeth spoke up, stepping forward, “In what way is Kyle deceiving our people? He’s been nothing but honest with all of us, otherwise the Goddess would have told me!”

Damien shook his head, looking at his sister with pity. “You’ve been duped by a ghost, a liar. The King of Larnion,” He gradually stood up, “Kyle Broflovski,” He defended the steps casually, “Has been buried underneath the castle of Larnion’s capital city for five years, after someone had assassinated the young man during his wedding reception.” He stepped towards them, mainly Kyle. “After marrying his lovely wife, the Queen Kenny, he was given spiced wine, tainted with nightshade. He was poisoned instantly, and died in front of his wife and thousands of party guests.” He stopped in front of Kyle, smirking.

Kyle was pallid, staring at Damien in a stunned silence. The whispers assaulted him and Kyle could finally see it, the very moment he had died.

“The Goddess told me he wasn’t a liar!” Elizabeth shouted at him, enraged.

“Then you’re the one deceiving us, to placate your own selfish fantasy!” Damien countered. The crowd erupted into murmurs. “Yes, Elizabeth, your dear and ‘innocent’ priestess,” he used air quotes, “was lied to _in her face_ , and the Goddess had told her so, but she decided to take that lie and run with it because of her obsession with the drow King. She willingly betrayed her kingdom to suit her own fancy!"

Somewhere in the back, Lola had gasped.

“This is not the King of Larnion.” Damien told everyone who was listening, “This man, this Drow, is a charlatan and a thief. He had deceived us, as all outsiders do, and tainted our dear Princess. He made her into a deceitful liar that has turned her back on her own people as well as her Goddess. As law states, our Princess will be forced to relinquish her status and leave our kingdom, forever shamed. But, what should we do with this horrible liar?”

Murmurs began to get louder, some people crying out for death, others crying out for banishment. Most of them demanded a beheading.

“Silence!” Elizabeth stepped in front of Kyle, shoving Damien back. “I will not have you kill him.”

Damien allowed himself to be pushed back, shaking his head. “You have no power here anymore, sister. But it’s quite amusing that you’re defending the source of your sin. Truly you don’t… _fancy_ this man more than your own people.”

Someone cleared their throat among the hushed murmurs and outrageous cries, an elder standing up from the left side. He settled himself on a cane, staring over at Elizabeth with clouded gray eyes. “I believe law states that the Princess gets one favor before she is cast out of our kingdom, a last plea to the Goddess before she is judged.”

Damien cringed at the statement, but it was gone quickly. “Very well, I will allow one last request. Only because I _cherish_ my sister.”

Kyle let out a loud snort of amusement at that, glaring at Damien.

Elizabeth couldn’t react to that, her lips threatening to twitch upward. “My final plea to the Goddess is that I want Kyle at my side when I leave, as I promised him my aide.”

Kyle watched her, hearing the eruption of outcries from her own people. Even when her brother was trying to turn her own people against her, she still chose him over saving herself…

Damien looked like he expected that, smiling slyly and finally making his way towards the throne. “I want everyone to remember this day, that your darling Princess and my dearest sister has turned against us all for an outsider, backing up my reasons that these people are not to be trusted. If this _drow_ can easily steal away your princess, then imagine what they can and will do to our King, your beloved princes? Should I remind you that our very own Queen, our former _High Priestess_ , betrayed you all all for a human vagabond? An outsider from the North? I hate to say it, but the past is repeating itself.”

The silence was agony, and nearly everyone was staring at Elizabeth with betrayal in their eyes. Kyle continued to glare at Damien, causing the crowd to gasp when he finally took Elizabeth’s hand. “This is not how a King should treat his people.” He said aloud, finally finding his voice. “A true leader shouldn’t be invoking fear and cruelty among his people. A true King is not trying to overthrow his own family, _his own blood_ , for the sake of his own agenda.” He gestured to Elizabeth, “This woman is and was the best example of a ruler I have ever seen, someone who wished to take her people forward into the future instead of holding them back and keeping them ignorant to the world. She loves each and every one of you!” He turned towards the crowd, “This show isn’t about what she did, because in my eyes she didn’t do anything wrong. Elizabeth has nothing to be ashamed of, she is allowed to follow her heart. _The Goddess told her to follow her heart._ What’s going on right now is that this man—“ He pointed at Damien, “—is using this entire trial to sway your minds, believing you are nothing but stupid fools that don’t know how to think! Elizabeth thinks you are smarter than political bias, she knows what’s best for her people. This asshole doesn’t.”

Elizabeth’s hand was tight against his, and she watched him with wide eyes as he spoke to her people. Her cheeks darkened the more he spoke and she started to smile. The people were left with stunned whispers, concerned murmurs and hesitant looks towards Damien.

The first born prince didn’t look too concerned, “How cute.” He looked from his left to his right, snapping his fingers. “Let us proceed, shall we?”

One of the elders on the far right stood up, a scroll in his hands. He unfurled it and read aloud, “In the wake of a shattered law, the Princess of Xuzia, Princess Elizabeth of the family Thorn, is hereby exiled from our land. She will take with her all that she can carry, and her title will be stripped from her person. She and her _companion_ ,” Everyone looked at Kyle, “Will be given until sunset to leave the capitol.”

“Isn’t this a little much for losing your virginity?” He whispered to her.

“Kyle.” She looked at him, “I am a High Priestess. I can speak to Thamera. My purity is important to them.” She said softly, “I also slept with _you_. You’re an outsider, you’re a drow and a dead man. Sleeping with anyone before marriage forfeits my standing, but sleeping with you is unforgivable in the eyes of the elders.”

Kyle continued to stare at her, unable to understand, “Liz. You…you _willingly_ slept with me. Why did you do this if you knew what would happen?”

Elizabeth didn’t answer him, leading Kyle out of the hall when they were dismissed by the elders. “Gather what you need.” She told him, “I’ll join you at the gates.” She left his side after that, walking away down the hall.

Kyle was left standing there watching her leave. A heavy feeling was sitting in the pit of his gut. Was he really brought back to life to destroy someone else’s?

* * *

Alice and Stan stood at the door to the Queen’s room, though the latter of the two looked unsure about doing what he was doing, giving Alice hesitant glances.

“I know what you’ve been doing with my Queen.” Stan said then, folding his arms.

Alice smiled widely, “Have I been caught?”

“Given what I know I should have the right to slit your throat.”

Alice looked back at the door, “My princess wouldn’t like that, Stan.”

Stan quirked a brow, “Why do you insisting on calling her a princess?”

There wasn’t an answer, because as the door opened and their eyes met, Alice stepped forward to sweep Kenny in his arms, spinning her around and giving her a loving kiss on her lips. She was caught by surprise but didn’t object, pressing her hands to his cheeks and leaning in. The two of them kissed for quite some time, oblivious to the third person in the room, watching them with a blank stare.

Finally, Stan cleared his throat. Kenny made a sudden sound and jumped, her eyes widening as she turned to see Stan. “Oh!”

The knight didn’t look amused, “Is there something I’m missing?” He asked blandly.

Kenny blushed furiously and Alice only grinned, “It’s a long story.” He said when she failed to speak.

Stan made his way to the chair next to the vanity and sat down, crossing his legs. “I have time, just make it a good story that I don’t have to kill you over.”

Alice broke out into a laugh, pulling Kenny closer to him. “Eleven years ago, we met in this room.” He smiled, “But back then she was only a lowly servant to Lord Fatass.”

Stan leaned forward slightly, putting his elbows on his knees. “…this room?” He looked at Kenny, “I was wondering why you insisted on this room.”

The woman continued to blush, finally leaving Alice’s side. “It has nostalgia, me and Alice slept on that bed together every night until we had to part.”

Before Stan could open his mouth Alice held up a finger, “No comments, we were ten, we just cuddled. It was the best three nights I ever had, but the days were even better. We explored this entire city, we played together, we watched the stars come out…” Alice finally sat on the end of her bed, and Kenny moved to perch at the window. “Every morning I woke her up with my music.”

Stan blinked, suddenly hearing whispers all around the room. A memory came to him, himself at ten years old, hiding in one of the lower rooms that were exclusively for him and Kyle, lonely because he refused to meet the blood elves and his best friend was forced to play with them. He remembered the pan flute, waking up to it, wondering where it came from and feeling the urge to cry. He blinked rapidly for a moment, turning his attention to Alice. “That was _you_.”

Alice reached out for Kenny and managed to take her hand when she left the window, pulling her back. “We tried to keep up with letters, but it only lasted a few months until Lord Fatass decided I shouldn’t talk to him anymore.” Kenny explained. “The last one I sent was during the winter…”

Alice moved to whisper into her hair, “I still have them.”

Stan felt less like he wanted to murder Alice for touching his Queen but he started to feel like he wanted to puke from the affection, it looked real enough not to be a lie. “So you calling her Princess is…”

“She was a Princess for those two days, and I became her bodyguard.” Alice murmured, “Though, now, I don’t plan on leaving.”

A sigh passed Stan’s lips, “Great.” He moved to pinch the bridge of his nose, “Okay let’s get back to why we’re here.” He glanced up at Kenny, “Alice told me that you knew something about Kyle’s death.”

Kenny froze slightly, blinking, “Alice,” She whimpered.

“Babe, he needs to know.” He hugged her close. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The close embrace was enough to relax her, because she knew that Alice was fast and strong enough to protect her from anything. She thought about her answer, “It was a plot that took place long before I met Alice, at the time I was almost a child. I was living with my family at the time, living my life normally. Well, um, since…I’m an Orc, I think I came face to face with death a lot, I died fairly often, but I would come back the next day and no one really noticed that I had died the day before.”

Stan frowned.

Alice only kissed her neck, saying nothing.

Kenny smiled faintly, “I just accepted my deaths as a part of life, up until that one special time when I died right in front of the Wizard King. I didn’t really think it was anything special, I was accidentally hung from a tree by a horse. He was _laughing_ at me.” She scowled at that part. “I came back two days later and…he remembered. He remembered seeing me be strangled by that rope, he remembered my face turning blue. He fucking remembered and for some reason he targeted me because of it! He forced me into indentured servitude when he became a prince.

“Somewhere along the line my family discovers that we’re not as desolate as we thought. My mother found papers in her parent’s old home, and I was able to read, and I discovered that my mother was a Duchess! I couldn’t believe it, we were _royalty_! It meant that we were the true rulers of Kupa Keep, and not fatass.”

“Why not the Wizard King?” Stan questioned, “I would assume Wizard King said it all.”

Kenny grinned, “He’s not really a King. He’s not really anything, Stan. Eric is a bastard child with no real inheritance, the previous King wasn’t his real father. He’s just a son of a whore, the town prostitute. Liane only pawned him off as the King’s child to get him into the castle. I know personally because I grew up with the asshole. He suddenly went from being poor to being rich, without any warning, the next day he was bragging about being the King’s son.”

Stan snorted in amusement. “Dude.”

“So…you were the real royalty.” Alice surmised, smiling. “I was right.”

Kenny nodded, “It was only a matter of time until my family claimed what was theirs, but then that’s when the trouble started.” Her face fell, “I buried those papers the next day to be safe, somewhere on the edge of the forest under a hollow tree. I knew fatass was going to try to take that away from us. But instead, he took my family away.

“He had something planned, because he had someone kidnap my whole family and take them away, and the next day he went to me with a proposition. He told me if I wanted my family safe and secure, then I should do as he said. I couldn’t imagine anything happening to my family, to my little sister.” She choked out a sob, “I wasn’t a servant anymore but now a Princess. I was taught how to act like royalty and kept out of the public eye until it was time for a party. It was the fifteenth birthday party of the boy prince of Larnion, and since we were allied with them, we were invited. That’s when I made my debut as a Princess and Eric paraded me around as if the party was meant for him. Kyle, oh, he apologized to me profusely for Eric’s behavior and we shared a dance that day.” She smiled slightly at that, “It was almost funny. Kyle as a King was the perfect definition of what a King should be, he could show up Eric just by breathing. Eric didn’t like him at all, he actually loathed him with every fiber of his being.”

Alice hugged her closer, and Stan noticed how sad the blood elf looked.

“You didn’t love him.” Stan said then, “Kyle, I mean.”

Kenny shook her head, “No…I never…my heart was still set on someone else, but I could also tell that Kyle didn’t love me either.”

Alice kissed her cheek.

“He forced me to charm him.” She didn’t look happy at that, sighing. “He told me that in order to see my sister again, he wanted me to become the Queen of Larnion. I tried to endure it, we both did. Kyle told me that while it was his mother’s dying wish that I marry him it wasn’t the same for him, but we faked it anyway, up until the reception. We were both given some special spiced wine, and no one thought anything of it. The wine bottle was from Xuzia, it was their specialty wine.”

Alice’s breath became short, “We don’t export specialty wine.”

Kenny frowned, “But…the prince sent…” Her heart fluttered, “The wine was sent by the _crown prince_.”

There was a beat of silence, and Stan’s eyes lingered on Alice, “You said you’re the second prince, right?”

He nodded, “There is no such thing as the crown prince,” Alice explained, “though I know He refers himself as that because he just can’t accept that my sister became the first in line.”

Kenny gasped, “You mean…?”

“Yes.” Alice ground out, “Damien, the one who killed Kyle was also the one to bring him back from the dead.”


	8. Chapter 8

The memory Thamera provided him was still fresh in his mind, his last moments alive. He was fighting off his own affliction and totally distracted because it was his own reception and he had just married the girl his mother planned for him. He had to keep reminding himself it was _not_ a party, it was _not_ a festival, it was a _gathering_ of lords and ladies and other dignitaries that were there for the wedding prior. He managed to keep himself from losing it and falling into that accent, had successfully managed to not kick one of the Canadian King’s ass after he asked the Queen for a dance, and he was actually allowing himself to have a good time.

It was a good time, up until that toast. That spiced wine that smelled so good that he drank without thinking. That his wife drank without thinking. No one thought that it was tainted, it wasn’t sweet, not at all. One moment he was in agony and the next he was breathing fresh air for the first time in what felt like forever.

One would think if you died from poisoning that you stayed dead. That was the end, no more. It was like a prolonged sleep, when you’re resurrected. A sleep with a wonderful dream that you hated to be torn away from, and suddenly you’re opening your eyes inside of a dark and cold cell. He quickly discovered where he was, somewhere deep inside the castle, his home. He was deep under the mausoleum, deep in one of their old dungeon chambers. It was colder there than anywhere else in Larnion. It was specifically a place that was closed off to everyone, kept as an emergency escape out of the castle that led into the caverns. It made no sense how he suddenly ended up there, as the caverns were closed off and warded by magic. He followed the stone steps up higher into the castle, finding the hidden door into the mausoleum and pushing himself inside.

There was his wife, kneeling at his tomb with flowers in her hands. It was something he still couldn’t comprehend, because his wife had died the same day he did. She too had drank the tainted wine. She shouldn’t have been alive at all. Her eyes looked so frightened upon seeing him, like she was staring at a ghost that had come up from the depths of hell to take revenge on her. She screamed at the sight of him, and he was terribly confused. When Stan had run in there, Kyle felt the urge to question why he awoke inside the dungeon chambers, but at the sight of Kyle he unsheathed his sword and called for his men. Kenny was behind him, terrified at the mere sight of Kyle, and when he began speaking she couldn’t help but cry.

He tried to tell Stan that he wasn’t someone else, he really tried. He did his best to convince his own best friend, his wife, his own people, that he was real. It never helped, it didn’t help in the slightest. They still attacked him and he had to escape. The only thing he could do was go back down into the dungeon chambers, out further past the enchantments and escaping through the caverns. They kept up on his tail until he found solace in the trees, hiding himself amongst the branches and scared witless that he was about to meet his end.

He had nowhere to go, and in the situation he was in, there wasn’t anyone to go to, lest the same thing happen again. So he did what he could, he prayed. What answered him was a sudden downpour of rain that was so heavy that it was hard to see, dispersing his pursuers and driving them back into their home, his home. A whisper had followed, a flurry of whispers, actually, translucent butterflies fluttering near him that he could _understand_. They sounded like the whispers were created by the rain itself, telling him what to do.

_Go south._

_Contact the blood elves._

_The High Priestess will help you._

_Elizabeth._ He remembered her. He remembered what was to the South of his kingdom. The great desert was to the South of his kingdom. The blood elves lived there, and among them was the one who could talk to the Goddess directly, and if anyone could help him, then it would be her. That’s when he set forth and ventured south.

It was an hour until sunset and Kyle found himself in front of the gates to the city. Over his shoulder was a rucksack with his robes inside of them and a leather canteen full of water. The Blood Elves that were guarding the gates stared at him wearily, clearly displeased of what he has done to their princess.

Everyone blamed him.

“King Kyle!”

Everyone except a select few.

Kyle turned around, watching Lola make her way over to him with a burlap sack in one hand and a horse’s lead in another, leading along a black mustang.

“Lola?” He frowned, staring up at the horse and then down at the sack. “What are you doing?”

“I’m doing my job and being your attendant.” She told him, “You require a horse and food for your journey, for the Princess’ journey.” She smiled slightly. “Not everyone agrees with the first Prince. Now please promise me something.”

Kyle swallowed thickly, “Wh—what do you want?”

Lola tied the burlap bag onto the horse’s saddle, “I want you to protect our Princess. Do that for me, for all of us, and we will forever be in your debt. Let her perish and we will honor her by ending your life.”

Kyle was shaken by the threat, but it still sounded so endearing and warm. “I won’t let anything happen to her, she’s made me feel alive ever since it was taken from me.” He looked beyond Lola to the woman heading towards them, carrying a satchel with a bow crossed over her body. Her golden decorations were gone with her title, but she still walked with dignity that only a princess had.

Not really a princess, but a regal Queen. She had never been a Princess, not once.

Lola quickly ran towards Elizabeth and whispered in her ear, hesitating for a moment before reaching over to hug her tight. She must have been the envoy to everyone who had wanted to see their princess off, but cowed under the eyes of Prince Damien. Lola said something else before finally stepping away, running back to the palace and out of sight.

Elizabeth didn’t show any emotion, approaching the mustang and caressing his face. “We’re leaving.” She said to Kyle. “Make sure everything you have is secure.”

The two of them looked up when drums began to pound, the gates opening for them. Kyle looked along the wall, seeing how most of them were kneeling for her.

Elizabeth mounted the horse first, petting his neck while Kyle followed suit. When he settled down and held onto her waist she cracked the reigns and let out a cry, starting the mustang into a run.

Kyle yelped and grasped onto her quickly, “Why are we going so fast?” He cried out.

“Because Damien won’t hesitate to shoot an arrow into my back.” She responded over the gallops.

Kyle clenched his teeth, enduring the rough ride until the horse couldn’t take it anymore. Elizabeth let out a soft coo when he finally slowed down, scratching him behind the ear.

“Why?” Kyle finally asked.

“Why what?” She kept her eyes onto the distant mountains.

“You had a chance to save yourself.” Kyle stated, “You decided to throw your future away, your people.”

Elizabeth pursed her lips, “My future came to a halt if I didn’t do what I did.” She said finally. “Thamera guides me, she whispers everything. If I hadn’t done that, my brother would have killed me.”

His gut twisted upon hearing that, “So…sleeping with me was saving yourself.”

“Sleeping with you was saving both of us.” She said harshly, “If I hadn’t did exactly everything I had done, then Damien would have murdered me and then framed it onto you. You would have been put to death for my murder and he would still have gotten his way.” She gripped the reigns tight, “I wasn’t about to let you die twice.”

The two of them went silent for a while longer, and slowly the sky became black.

“Is he still going to come after you?” He finally whispered, as if the sky was hearing him and might take it back to the palace.

“If he will, he’s going to do it himself.” She said reassuringly, “If he tried to contract with one of our own he would face serious backlash. He won’t risk his standing among our people to kill me by another’s hand.”

Kyle breathed a sigh of relief, falling silent again for as long as the horse continued to carry them.

They came upon an oasis after quite some time, one he recognized. In the center of the spring was a statue of a woman with small citrine jewels for her eyes. He remembered coming here, he remembered drinking from the same spring. Hidden behind a cactus was another statue, of an elven mortal with sapphire eyes, gazing upon the woman who stood above the waters.

“This is the oasis that Thamera had created for those who traversed her lands.” Elizabeth told him softly, “This is where she had met her lover.” She slowed her horse and dismounted from him, waiting for Kyle to follow.

Kyle had followed, moving to the statue behind the cactus when she went to the woman, “How long have you been speaking to the Goddess?”

“I came to speak with the Goddess when I was a small child, and she told me that she disapproved of what her children were doing to those she wished to protect. She pointed me in the right direction ever since. I had managed to convince my father to accept the invitation to Larnion, because she wanted both the drow and blood elves to come together.”

Kyle was staring at the water, mainly the reflection of the starry sky upon the black painted canvas. Those whispers he heard in the rain came back into his memory, and he swallowed thickly. “I think…I can speak to Thamera too. I was hiding in the forests and the palace guards were looking for me, high up on a tree looking down on a dozen wandering firelights, and it just…started raining. The rain was heavy, it kept anyone from seeing anything in front of them and so they gave up. That’s when I heard the whispers. I feel like it’s an after-effect of being dead once before, because I never could understand them before.”

Elizabeth watched him, “The Goddess really did send you to me.” She whispered.

Kyle sighed, “The Goddess sent me, but she didn’t bring me back. Someone else did.”

Elizabeth shook slightly, “The only ones who can bring the dead back to life are necromancers…” She hesitated just a little, “I…no, he would _never_.” She whispered it, sounding horrified.

Kyle watched her uneasily, “Liz?”

Elizabeth looked grim, meeting Kyle’s eyes, “There’s only one necromancer I know that would be petty enough to bring you back from the dead, and everything we just went through was his carefully thought out plan. He knew!” Her voice raised, sounding outraged. “He knew how much you meant to me, he knew exactly what the hell—“

Kyle took her by the shoulders, “Liz, breathe! Who brought me back? Why?”

Elizabeth breathed, forcing herself to do it calmly, “Damien. He brought you back to send you here, he wanted us to meet. He wanted me gone. Now he’s getting his way and—“ She froze suddenly, “Tell me again why you were killed…”

Kyle’s gut was twisting again, feeling completely sick now. “The King of Kupa Keep, he started all of this. He introduced me to Kenny, my wife, and he urged us together. He’s the reason I died, because I didn’t know…”

Sudden realization came to Kyle’s mind and his brows raised, “Kenny is an orc! That explains everything! She was poisoned the same time I was, during our reception! When I came back she was still alive. The only people who can’t die are orcs, Liz. They’re immune! That means that the fatass knew about Kenny and got me to marry her because then if I die, she inherits my kingdom. With the kingdom, came the Stick of Truth.”

Elizabeth slowly stood up, “Where did the wine come from?”

His eyes flickered painfully, “I was told the Xuzian crown prince sent it.” He was making the connection as he said it, staring at Elizabeth in pure shock. “They’re fucking working together!” He cried out, scrambling to his feet. “Fatass and your douchebag brother, they planned everything!”

“We need to go.” Elizabeth said quickly, heading to her horse.

“Where?” He cried out.

“We have to get to Larnion.” She told him, “The spirits, they know. The fat King wanted you out of the way, so he contracted with Damien to murder you. Why did you accept wine from Xuzia if your people didn’t trust our kind?”

“Because every dignitary sent us a gift, Liz! We didn’t think twice that Xuzia’s prince sent us some wine to celebrate, and it was spiced. It was a happy occasion, and—“

“You were too distracted by controlling yourself at a party than to have anyone test it.” She answered for him, sighing as she mounted her horse. “Kyle, when you died I was devastated, I thought my chances of making things right were long-gone. That was when I began to persuade my father into my progressive ideas that opened up our country to the foreign traders.”

Kyle mounted the horse after her, frowning. “What do you mean?”

Elizabeth urged her horse into a run, “I mean that Damien knew just what to do, and if he brought you back, then he would successfully have a way to get rid of me. I told you before: he wanted to get rid of me, and frame it on you. Because I cared about you so much, he had a good reason to sway my people back into their sheltered views. _My sister’s obsessions with the drow King was the cause of her death._ That’s what he wanted.”

“But you instead slept with me.” He told her, “You foiled his plan before he could initialize it.”

“Instead of killing me he gets to publicly shame me, but it doesn’t mean that he’s done. He won’t stop until I’m out of the picture, and he will still make sure to frame it on you.” She pursed her lips, glaring at the destination before them, kicking up speed. “You were only brought back to life in order to die.”

Kyle held on tighter as the horse went as fast as he could, gritting his teeth.

He’d be damned if he let it happen a second time.

* * *

“We can’t do this!”

“We’re going to have to.”

“It’s desecrating a holy burial ground, you asshole!”

“The cleric can punish me later, I’ll provide the whips and chains.”

“Do you always have to answer like that, you fucking pervert?”

“Shut up, both of you!” Kenny cried out, leading them down the steps. “Alice is right, we have to do this. I hate to have to allow such a thing, but we have no choice on the matter.”

“My Queen, if we open that tomb and his body is still there—“

“I have a feeling it won’t be, Stanley.” Kenny said with dread in her voice, “When I saw him that night, when _we_ saw him—he was in his burial robes. No one can duplicate that! Not even a wizard!”

“Those things reeked of death when I found him.” Alice reflected, his nose scrunching up. “Five years of decomposing will do that to you.”

“If that was really Kyle—“ Stan looked pallid as he thought about it, cringing in anguish. “I tried to kill my best friend.”

“I’m sure he’ll forgive you.” Kenny said reassuringly, running over to the doors and shoving them open. The three of them headed further into the mausoleum and slowly came to a stop at Kyle’s tomb. Alice moved when Stan didn’t, hooking his fingers under the marble and shoving it open with as much strength as he could.

Kenny took hold of Stan’s arm the more the lid was removed from its position, the woman’s breath falling short as she shook Stan. The taller man just stared helplessly at the empty tomb before him, losing all sorts of color in his face.

“Holy shit.” He said in a wavering voice.

“We have a winner.” Alice didn’t sound so pleased at his discovery, going about inspecting the tomb.

Stan put a hand to his lips to mumble a little prayer before stopping, “My Queen?”

“He came out from the dungeons.” Kenny said aloud, heading over to a wall. She pushed on the marble, and the wall began to slowly turn.

Alice’s eyes widened at the sight, “You have a hidden passageway?”

“It’s used for emergencies.” Stan explained, “This room wasn’t a mausoleum until Prince Isaac was murdered. Queen Sheila wanted to keep him close to home and this room was repurposed. Because of that we relocated our prisoner cells to the high towers so we wouldn’t have to desecrate a sacred burial ground. The passageway was still opened though, and it was King Gerald who had the idea into turning it into our castle’s failsafe in case there’s a war.” He led Alice down into the stairwell after taking hold of a torch near the doorway, “The dungeons connect to one of our caverns, a well-hidden tunnel that we quickly made into a secret passageway just in case the capital city was taken. Everyone could escape through the dungeons and make it out safely.”

Alice pursed his lips, “Not so secret if Damien could find his way inside.”

“No one is supposed to know about them.” Stan said aloud, looking pointedly at Kenny, “My Queen—“

“I didn’t tell fatass on purpose.” Kenny snapped.

Alice’s face softened, catching up to her and caressing her cheek, “No one’s blaming you. I think you’re handling this well, you know. I don’t think I could handle it if I knew my sister was in mortal danger.”

Kenny bit back a sob, slowly stopping in her tracks. “I’m to blame for all of this.” She moaned pitifully.

“No.” Alice reached forward to hug her. “You’re a victim in this, babe. The one to blame for all of this is my brother and that fat bastard of a King.”

Stan sighed, waiting patiently, “If Kyle’s alive again there’s a chance we can turn this around.”

Alice guided Kenny the rest of the way down, shivering suddenly from the sudden chill that went up his spine. There was a strong breeze coming in from down an eastern corridor, cold as ice. Along the walls were stones that glowed softly, lighting the way for those who needed it. Alice moved over towards the wall to touch one of the stones. “Huh, neat.”

A sudden ghost of wind brought an atrocious scent to Stan’s nose, and he cringed, “Dude!” He covered his nose with his free hand, “Something died up ahead.” He shoved himself past Alice and led the way, leading them down a corridor and stopping as the scent grew stronger.

The torch flickered from another gust but it wasn’t strong enough to kill the flame, all three of them following the horrible stench until it was right under their nose.

Alice let out a small whistle at the sight of the corpse that was before them. A half-rotten goat with its eyes eaten out and maggots covering almost every inch of its exposed flesh. Underneath the body was a smearing of blood. Alice took the torch from Stan’s grasp and followed the blood trail, the fire illuminating the room and exposing a large pentagram and five dead black candles.

Kenny covered her mouth with her hands as she gasped, and Stan stepped over the blood and inspected the center of the star. There was a pile of dirt spread out among the stone floor.

“Sacred soil.” Alice said as Stan ran his hands through it. “Resurrection requires four elements. Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water.” He licked his finger and held it up to gauge the wind.

“Sweet mother,” Kenny whined, “He’s alive. It was actually him.” She took a deep breath, her hands shaking. “But—but why did he bring Kyle back?”

Alice thought about it, looking at Stan for a moment. “My sister.” He said then.

Stan stared at him quizzically.

“Elizabeth was obsessed with the Drow growing up as soon as she was able to talk with the Goddess. She held this deep-seated belief that the Drow was protected by the Goddess and she insisted dad should make advancements to ally with the Drow. Though when Prince Isaac was killed all the plans for the alliance fell through.” Alice slowly stood up, “Because of that, she invested herself into changing our kingdom for the better. She introduced the idea of importing and exporting with foreign lands, she worked on the tolerance of outsiders, she wanted to change the kingdom.”

Stan frowned, “What does that have to do with any of this?”

Alice ignored the comment, “Elizabeth became unpopular with the elders because of it, especially Damien. Damien wants to hold our traditions and keep us from changing. The more Liz urged dad to allow something new the more Damien despised her for it. I have a damn good feeling that he brought Kyle back to distract Liz from her motives.” He sighed, “Liz had a thing concerning Kyle, and it shattered her when he had died. Damien knew just where to hit her.”

Stan righted himself and looked towards Kenny, the blonde looking just as lost as he was.

“What are you trying to say?” Kenny asked then. “That your brother brought our King back to life just to exact revenge on his own sister?”

Alice didn’t look too surprised, “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

* * *

Something had been out of sorts for a while, the King had been secretive. Butters didn’t know what was going on, only that it involved someone else, someone he didn’t know. Nights would come and go and the King would always be somewhere else, meeting the other person. Butters wouldn’t know this unless he didn’t smell it. It was a pungent stench, one that lingered for days. The smell of death, that’s what it was, but the source was always one certain room in the castle’s walls. Though, every time he managed to reach that room the voices would stop, but Butters knew there was always two. The King, Eric, and the visitor that smelled of rotten flesh.

Only certain people only smelled like death, and the main ones were necromancers. They often reeked of a fresh corpse, and if it wasn’t a necromancer than it was the corpse itself. Butters knew too well, he’s seen it all too often. Necromancers often reanimated corpses to do their bidding, whether it be a task or to carry a message. His grandmother was a necromancer, but the irony was that she was already dead, resurrected by his own father…

What a battle _that_ was.

Why would Eric be meeting with a necromancer? That’s the question that was on Butters’s mind. What in the world did he need a necromancer’s services for? Did it have to do with his friend? The last he knew, Queen Kenny was still over in Larnion, trying to find the relic for the Wizard King. That was Eric’s long-term goal that he wanted to see done and finished.

_“They’ve run.”_

_“Motherfucking Urasis you let them go?”_

Butters stopped moving at the sounds of the voices. He had just made it to the main corridor, leading down to the study. It had been locked lately, which was suspicious in itself. The voices were louder than they were before, and Butters kept his footfalls light.

_“I had no choice, I was being watched.”_

_“Where are they going?”_

_“Larnion, if I’m guessing correctly. He’ll want to warn the Queen.”_

His head perked up at the mention of his friend, Queen Kenny. So it did involve her! But who was on their way to see the Queen? Before he could take another step the heavy scent of rot met his nostrils and it took everything inside of him not to retch. It was stronger than before, which meant the necromancer was using a corpse.

_“Of course they want to get to the Queen, and that fucking blood elf prince is with her, fucking traitor.”_

_“You fancy my sister.”_

_“AY, this is NOT about me. What do we do now? If Khal gets to Larnion he will be safe, and so will she. We won’t be able to touch them.”_

_“There’s still a way.”_

Why are they mentioning King Kyle? He didn’t understand. The King of Larnion had died… Butters took out a kerchief and held it over his mouth and nose to keep himself from making any noise, or smelling the rot. He inched closer to the room, finding that the door was open slightly. If he concentrated, he could see the black vapors of magic leaking out of the cracks.

_“What way is there? We can’t just storm in there—“_

_“Yes we can. The relic only protects the palace, not the city itself. I know just the way for you to get what you want.”_

_“Tell me.”_

_“Take your men, all of them, every single man able to fight, and go to Larnion. Demand that if they don’t hand over my sister and the relic then you will obliterate every last drow elf. She won’t be able to stand aside and let her precious drow elves be killed. She loves them more than her own people. You’ll get everything then, the Stick, and her.”_

_“Then you’ll take care of the rest, right?”_

_“I’ll withhold my end of the contract. The drow will die no matter what she decides.”_

_“We might have interference.”_ A pause. _“The Queen and King.”_

_“The King won’t be hard to dispose of. The Queen, however, I know ways to kill an orc and make sure they stay dead.”_

Butters’s eyebrows shot up, they were planning to kill Kenny? He took a step back the way he came from, going as quiet as possible until the voices were out of earshot. He began running then, heading for the entrance and from there the stables. He needed to leave now if he were to get any time between warning them and the impending fight. They won’t be prepared if the Wizard King approached the city with his numbers. They were allied with the barbarians, and that would just worsen Kenny’s odds.

He got on the horse and yelled, snapping the reigns and heading off into the night. It was raining heavily, but the storm overhead didn’t quite compare to the storm that was to come.


	9. Chapter 9

Kyle and Elizabeth had run the full length of the desert as fast as the mustang could take them, the horse proving to be strong enough to withstand the weather conditions that Elizabeth managed to provide for. Rain managed to keep them from dying in the heat, also keeping them well hydrated and away from death. The Goddess was still whispering to her, and by the time they had gotten to the edge of the forest it was time to give the mustang a well deserved break, Elizabeth and Kyle going on foot the rest of the way. It had been a few days since they made it into the forest, continuing their journey on foot rather than on horseback at Elizabeth’s request.

Kyle didn’t like having to move at this pace. He knew how long it took for him to get to the desert by foot. He knew what he had to do to keep himself from being found. He began to get worries in his head. What if they got there and all of his people were dead? What if something happened to keep them from reaching their destination? What if Damien found them and decided to end their lives right then and there? What if Stan still didn’t believe Kyle was really Kyle? What if Alice had been executed because he was Xuzia’s prince? What if? _What if?_

Kyle jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked over at Elizabeth. Her face was stern and her lips turned down. She shook her head slowly, putting a finger to his lips.

“Calm.” She said quietly. “The Goddess is still with us, she has not abandoned us.” She said confidently.

She had always been with us, Kyle thought then. Thamera had been with her since the beginning. Ever since Elizabeth had met him.

_“What is she saying now?”_

_“She’s telling me to be nice to you.”_

Kyle seemed a little stricken, the King that Thamera had fallen for was a drow King, who had traversed her lands looking for shelter and became blessed by the Goddess. He remembered his days in the desert perfectly. He managed to keep himself alive by eating snakes and cactus fruits, just like the original drow King had. He was still amazed that he was able to live through the journey, any normal mortal would have died…

“Thamera was watching over me…” Kyle said quietly, “I wouldn’t have survived the desert, but… I continued to live… I blacked out sometimes, and then I heard a girl’s voice singing and then I’d wake back up and find the strength to keep going. I could never pinpoint the song, but the voice was so beautiful… like it was beckoning me to live.”

Elizabeth smiled knowingly, “She wanted you to find me.” She answered. “When you arrived, when you said who you were, I was stunned. At the time I knew you were dead, that you had been for a long time, I was worried that you were someone filled with deception. When I tested you, she whispered to me. She told me that you were to live, that you needed my help. To keep you with me because something was going to happen.” She glanced away, looking along the trees. “She told me your truth.”

He looked away suddenly, his cheeks warm. “When this is over do you think we can…” He stopped, “I understand you’re not a princess anymore but I would like to--” He stopped again, taking a deep breath, “Would it be possible for us to try again? CourtingImean?” He asked it so fast that he winced at the end, unable to look back at her.

Elizabeth’s cheeks went dark slightly and she trained her eyes on his face, “I wouldn’t want anything else.”

Kyle couldn’t help but smile at that, and he went to take her hand as the two continued to walk.His mind began to wander, that he wouldn’t have had to ask this of her if the last contract hadn’t have fallen though like it did. Though, the murder of his brother was always the strangest thing. Ike had no enemies, he was ten at the time. Everyone in Larnion loved the little Canadian born adopted prince of Queen Sheila. For someone to kill him was unheard of, but it felt suspicious, as if whoever contracted the assassin had known that would null the alliance…

“Do you think Damien had something to do with my brother’s death?” Kyle asked it so suddenly, without warning, and Elizabeth looked over at him, squeezing his hand. “I mean,” He continued, letting go of her so he could gesture with his hands, “It was a little too coincidental, my brother’s death and the fallout afterward. Like someone did it just to break the impending alliance.”

There were whispers again, fluttering around Kyle like translucent butterflies, surrounding him, and the Goddess gave him his answer. Kyle’s vision flashed, and he could hear them…

_“If you do this for me I will owe you a favor in the future.”_

_“Right, you want me to have the Canadian brat killed. Why not kill the source? Let’s go after Khal instead.”_

_“No, just the younger one.”_

_“And if I do this, I get a freebie, right? No catches or anything like that?”_

_“Just give it a good thought about what you want in return.”_

_“Oh, I know what I want in return.”_

The laughter echoed in his mind and Kyle spun around to hit a tree. “MOTHERFUCKER!” His voice bellowed loud enough to disrupt the birds in the trees, many of them flying from the tree he smacked. Elizabeth watched on, concern growing in her eyes.

“What did she say?”

“It’s not what she told me, it’s what I heard.” Kyle looked angry, “Damien had Lord Fatass kill Ike. For a _favor_.”

Kyle turned away to start walking, but he stopped, feeling rain patter onto his head. “Huh?” He looked up, and the rain soon became a torrential downpour, thunder following it. Kyle blinked, confused until he heard the mustang whinny. He turned around, seeing how Elizabeth was standing still. “Liz?”

The thunder clapped loudly overhead and Kyle let out a scream, hurrying over to her. “Liz!” He could see it, how her eyes looked darker now, almost hard. Her limbs were shaking, and when the horse bucked up to try to get away her grip on the reigns were like steel. Kyle began to panic, moving to touch her until a louder clap of thunder boomed so hard that it shook him to the core, followed by a lightning strike that shot to the tree that Kyle had previously hit, blowing it completely into pieces. “LIZ!” Kyle dropped by instinct, starting to hear the whispers again, they sounded urgent. Comfort her. Calm her. She’s full of rage. She’ll destroy the forest.

Kyle swallowed a lump in his throat and stood back up, taking no time in pulling Elizabeth into a tight embrace. He could still hear the thunder, but his arms curled around her frame. “It’s okay Liz, please, I’m here, calm down, please!”

The storm began to dwindle, and Kyle could feel Elizabeth’s hands falling onto his back, the woman clinging to him so tight it was like she was afraid he would disappear. The thunder had left and the rain stopped being heavy. Kyle kept his hold on her, her shaking becoming less and less.

“That’s right, I’m here.” He said quietly, feeling her duck her head into the crook of his neck. The two stayed like that for what felt like hours, and Kyle soon decided to lean back, catching Elizabeth’s eyes. He lingered there, seeing how they were no longer dark.

“Emeralds.” He said quietly, moving his hand to the side of her face. Elizabeth shied her eyes away from his, but she was unable to turn away.

“Yours are peridots. Bright and vibrant.” She whispered in return. Her eyes soon returned to his and Kyle felt compelled, leaning in.

_Snap._

Elizabeth gasped and Kyle spun around, hiding her behind himself as he raised his arms, ready for whatever danger it was.

“Holy Theone.” Came the voice, and Stan had stepped out of the bushes, his eyes wide and directly on Kyle’s person. In his hand was his sword, which he slowly lowered the more he realized his best friend was right before him. Suddenly, the sword was dropped and Stan rushed over to Kyle, tackling him with force and giving him a hug so tight that it took Kyle’s breath away.

“Kyle!” Stan choked out a sob, unable to hold back the tears. Kyle couldn’t help but smile, hugging his best friend in return and patting his back.

“Yeah it’s me.” He said softly, “Now let go before you strangle me.”

Stan promptly let go of him, grinning sheepishly before putting his fingers to his mouth to whistle.

What followed were fifteen drow soldiers emerging from the shadows of the forests, their own eyes wide with shock at the sight of their resurrected King.

“The blood elf was right.”

“It’s really him.”

“He’s alive!”

Kyle smiled warmly at the other soldiers, feeling Elizabeth’s hand on his arm. It wasn’t long until Stan realized Kyle wasn’t alone, his attention falling onto the blood elf that was behind him. Kyle moved away.

“This is Stan,” Kyle explained to her, “He’s been my personal knight since like…ever.” He grinned slightly, and the woman nodded, her eyes lingering on Stan’s.

It didn’t take that long for Stan to realize who this woman was, “This is the one who can talk to the Goddess, is she?”

Elizabeth continued to stare, the blue in Stan’s eyes reflecting a memory, and suddenly the whispers passed her and she could then see it. The image of a five-year-old boy on his knees in his house, crying his eyes out as his family bled onto the floor, the boy just having come home from playing with his dog in the fields. The image left Elizabeth with a heavy heart and she stepped forward, reaching up to caress Stan’s cheek.

“I am so sorry for what had happened.” She said to him, “You are the reason I am trying to abolish this age-old practice, for innocent people like you are caught in the sights of others with corrupt hearts and greedy eyes.”

Stan trembled slightly, seeing the hurt in her eyes. It was like she… no, she couldn’t have. He felt her hand fall away, “She told you, didn’t she?” He asked quietly.

Elizabeth nodded, and Stan took a shaky breath. He didn’t want to break down here, in front of his men. He had already cried enough. The knight stepped away, beginning to lead Kyle and Elizabeth forward.

“How did you know we were here?” Elizabeth asked him.

“Drow can speak to the trees.” Stan explained, “They have been talking about a pair of travelers in the forests and we’ve decided to investigate. The thunderstorm tipped us off to where you two were.”

“T-That was me.” She admitted hesitantly.

Stan then stopped, turning back to them. “Wait, aren’t you supposed to be in Xuzia?”

“We were exiled,” Kyle looked angry, “thanks to Damien.”

Stan nodded in understanding, “That one seems to be doing a lot of shit. We found out he’s the one who brought you back.”

“Well he’s also the one who killed me.”

There was a beat of silence, and Stan turned again, “What else do you know?”

“He’s the one who killed Ike,” Kyle spoke up, “By proxy, he made a deal with Lord Fatass and had him do it.”

Stan stopped walking suddenly, the man making a fist with his hands, gritting his teeth. “I’ll end him.”

“We’ll work on that when we get back to Larnion.” Kyle could see the city just beyond the trees, finding Elizabeth’s hand and interlacing their fingers.

Stan didn’t say anything else, taking his sword when another knight offered it to him and sheathing it. They quietly made their way through the city gates, where their presence caught everyone’s attention. It was like time had stopped, drow elves young and old halting their daily tasks in order to watch in bated breath as their King had made his way through the streets. There were soft voices, whispers belonging to the people, but other than that there was no sound, only eyes, looking upon Kyle and his companion with awe.

Elizabeth felt the stares, the eyes on her person, she averted her gaze, loathing the attention. Yet despite that, her gait was still of a princess.

Stan snapped his fingers, alerting all of the knights and sending them off without a word. They passed them quickly, jogging back to the palace. He kept his eyes forward, until he felt someone tug at his cape. He stopped, turning to look upon a younger drow girl, her eyes wide in shock.

“Is that really the King?” She asked quietly.

Stan didn’t say anything for a moment, before smiling at her. “Yes, that is really our King.” He patted her head after that, turning away to catch up to them. The girl’s eyes sparkled and she began to run.

“The King is alive!” Her cries rang through the streets, breaking the reverent silence and the spell that everyone had been under. The cacophony of noise returned after that, drow elves young and old praising the Goddess for the return of their King.

Once they had made it into the palace, Kyle could feel Elizabeth’s hand tightening around his. He looked at her with concern, noting the worry in her eyes. “We’re safe now.” He reassured her.

“We’re not,” came her reply.

Stan stopped at the corridor, hearing the faint sound of a pan flute. “They’re this way.” He directed them down the right side, leading them towards the music.

“What are they doing?” Kyle asked.

“Well they’re _supposed_ to be sending you a missive.” Stan said flatly, the three of them getting closer. The music became more significant now, and Kyle began to recognize the tune. It was the same song that he heard from the mysterious singing girl on his venture to Xuzia. He looked to Elizabeth, finding that she was starting to look agitated.

When Stan stopped at the specified door he didn’t knock, only turning the handle and entering. The three of them caught Alice sitting on the balcony, Kenny’s head in his lap as he continued to play. Though, at the sight of them Kenny gasped and scrambled off, while Alice cried out, falling backward so far that he ended up tumbling into the bush below the window. “You could have knocked!” His voice cried out.

Stan hid the smirk that fought his lips, “We found them.”

Alice’s head popped up from the bushes and he instantly let go of his flute, letting it hang off of his neck as he climbed back through the balcony. “Why are they here?”

“Damien had us exiled.” Elizabeth snapped, finally letting go of Kyle’s hand.

“Exiled?” Kenny looked confused, and the woman let out a sigh, explaining to them what had happened. As she explained, Alice slowly began to grin, his eyes falling onto Kyle and sparkling in amusement.

Elizabeth smacked her brother’s chest. “Stop it.”

Alice kept his grin, “Can’t I be happy that my sister has finally found someone?”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, “Yes, but then we were caught.” She began to go into detail about the trial, what Damien had told her people, the elders, and the result. “Damien had convinced the Elders that I was twisting Thamera’s words for my own personal gain.” Elizabeth’s stare was ice cold. “He actually wanted to murder me and frame Kyle for it, but I stopped it before it could happen.”

“Murder you?” Kenny couldn’t understand it, “But you’re family.”

“Not all families love each other.” Alice said to her, frowning. “Ever since Elizabeth took Damien’s standing he’s hated her ever since.”

“And now he’s out there hunting me down.” Elizabeth’s voice broke. “We’re not safe.”

“Yes we are.” Kyle spoke up, “We’re safe in this palace as long as the Stick is here…assuming that the Stick is still here.” He turned his eyes to Kenny, who nodded.

“Lord Fatass put me here in order to find it and I have yet to come across it.” She smiled reassuringly.

“We can’t stay here.” Elizabeth insisted, looking at Kyle with panicked eyes, “He’ll come when no one’s looking—“

“Didn’t Kyle just say that we’re under protection?” Alice interrupted her, knowing just how this dance is leading. He’s seen his sister in this state before.

“Did it protect Prince Isaac from being killed? No!”

“The Stick protects us from magic attacks, not physical. But ever since that happened the security has been heightened.” Kyle insisted, “Liz you need to calm down—“ He reached out for her but Elizabeth smacked his hand aside.

“If it protects you from magic then explain how Damien was able to resurrect you!”

Stan looked over at Alice, catching the other’s eyes. Alice understood the concern that he saw and dug into his waist satchel for something.

“The dungeon chambers is out of its range, but thank you for reminding me, I’m going to have that place blocked off permanently.”

Alice leaned in to whisper in Stan’s ear, gesturing over to Elizabeth, and Stan nodded, causally moving to stand behind her. She was still panicking, pacing a single area in the room.

“Liz, you sound tired.” Alice said then, pulling out a vial from his bag, “How long have you been traveling?”

“Six days without sleep.” Kyle answered for her, and just as he said it he could feel the fatigue setting in. “Alice has a point Liz, we should actually sleep.”

“Sleep? I can’t sleep! He’s still out there!” She pointed to the window, “I won’t be sleeping until he’s locked up in a cage or dead!”

Alice tipped the vial over and poured the contents in his hand, going over to Elizabeth, “You need to sleep.” With that he blew whatever was on his hand into Elizabeth’s face, a small pile of lavender dust. Elizabeth’s eyes widened once she realized what happened, coughing as she accidentally breathed it in before her head began to feel heavy. She couldn’t fight it off, her eyelids growing heavy while her body began to feel weak, and if it weren’t for Stan moving to catch her then she would have collapsed onto the floor.

Kyle and Kenny stared wide-eyed at Alice, “What did you do?” Kyle nearly cried out.

Alice brushed the rest of the dust off of his pants, “You heard her didn’t you? The lack of sleep and the stress was making her hysterical. I did what I had to.”

“What was it though?” Kenny questioned.

“Sleeping powder.” He held up the empty vial that was smaller than his pinky finger. “We use them on contract missions if the contractor insists we keep someone alive. Knocks them out cold instantly.”

Kenny looked stunned, but Kyle breathed a sigh of relief, “I was…honestly getting worried.”

“So was I. She’s usually cool headed.” Alice watched Stan carry Elizabeth’s body to the couch, setting her there. “She doesn’t usually lose control like that.”

“You shoulda been in the forest.” Kyle said then, recalling the storm. “When I made the connection that Damien killed Ike a storm came up out of nowhere and a lightning bolt blasted a tree into bits.”

Alice nodded slowly, “Emotional breakdowns can cause our magic to act on its own. It was a blessing that she didn’t accidentally hit either of you with that.” He frowned, watching his sister sleep. “Let her sleep, she’ll come back to her senses by the morning.”

“I would feel better if she slept in my room.” Kyle said then, and Stan moved to pick her up bridal style. “I don’t want her to sleep alone.”

“Tomorrow we should figure out a plan of action.” Alice said then, going to Kenny to take her hand, “If you need me I’ll be in the Queen’s room.” A grin formed on his face then, and Kyle rolled his eyes.

Stan looked from Kyle to Kenny, quirking a brow, “Isn’t anyone going to say anything about the blood elf sleeping with the King’s wife?”

“ _Till death do us part_ , Stanley.”

Kenny smiled coyly, leading a grinning Alice out of the room.

* * *

The horse galloped at top speed, Butters doing his best to get to Larnion as fast as possible. He barely took breaks between his travels, unable to relax himself. He felt sorry for his poor horse, she was enduring such the long journey for his sake. He thought about rewarding her with carrots after the trip, hopefully if he got there in time.

Along the way he didn’t pass by anyone or anything suspicious. There were no other humans (or, he feared, barbarians,) that he should be weary of. Crossing from the fair plans of Kupa Keep into the forests of Larnion went by without any trouble, and elves didn’t give him a second look.

It was the dawn of the early morning when he finally made it to the gates of Larnion’s capitol city, the palace gleaming in the sun over the other wooden structures. Butters breathed a sigh of relief, stopping at the gates once he was asked to.

“What business do you have here?” Asked a knight, their eyes on his person with hesitant curiosity.

“I’m Butters, the Paladin for Kupa Keep and I’m here to see Queen Kenny sirs, it’s an emergency.” He told them, “The king of Kupa Keep is planning a massacre of your people and I’ve come to warn her!”

The knights stared at Butters, their eyebrows raising in alarm. Immediately they opened the door, one of the knights heading inside. “See to this man, get him an audience with the King as quickly as possible!”

“The King?” Butters looked stricken, “What do you mean the King?”

“Our King has returned, Sir Butters.” Another knight appeared, one that recognized the human man instantly, “He’s okay,” He told the other knights, “He’s a friend of the Queen.”

Butters finally hopped off his horse, “Kyle’s alive and here? Oh hamburgers! I need to get to him quick, the kingdom is in danger!”

“Hush, not in front of the villagers.” The knight shushed him, “We’ll go quickly.”

Butters nodded, following the elf to the palace.


	10. Chapter 10

Whispers fluttered as she turned, the translucent butterflies fading away once her eyes began to open and the world came into view. She looked around, seeing him above her, sitting next to her head with a book in his hand.

“You drugged me.” Came the weak voice, and Kyle turned his attention to the woman laying next to him, her hair splayed out onto the pillow.

“Alice drugged you.” He corrected her, “With good reason, you became hysterical.”

Elizabeth thought back to the night before and the whispers fluttered by, even the Goddess was telling her that she became upset. She didn’t answer, laying in the comfort of the down bedding as she shifted to his side. It was then she noticed that she wasn’t in her linens, her cheeks darkening at the fact that she was in something else. “Who dressed me?”

“I did.” Kyle didn’t look up from his book, “Linens don’t really work in Larnion, I also had someone bring in something warmer for you to wear, and shoes.”

She didn’t answer that, either, watching the other read calmly, “I apologize.” She said then, mumbling. “For…earlier.”

Kyle finally closed the book, directing his attention to her and shifting so they were laying side by side. “You really worried me.”

She shied her eyes away but he managed to direct them back as he reached for her chin, tilting her head up so he could lean in and kiss her. She didn’t resist or deny it, returning it until their faces drifted apart.

There was then a small chuckle and the two of them paused, looking at each other curiously before directing their eyes to the window, seeing Alice perched there, grinning from ear to ear.

“This is sweet.” He mused.

Kyle barked out a laugh at the same time Elizabeth sat up and grabbed her pillow, chucking it at Alice’s head. “Use the door!” She shouted, stopping at the sound of Kyle’s laugh and folding her arms. “It’s not funny he sneaks into my window at home as well.”

Kyle managed to lessen his laughs, “Where’s Kenny?” He asked the other.

Alice climbed further into the room, “She’s bathing.” He paused, “I know, I know, why am I not with her?” A smirk formed on his face, “Because the last time we didn’t really get anything _clean_ —“

“I don’t want to hear this!” Elizabeth spoke up over Alice’s words, glaring at him. “Get out.”

Alice pouted, heading to the door, “You’re no fun.”

“The way you came in.” The woman pointed to the window, and Alice chuckled and turned his direction.

Kyle held in a chuckle as Alice slipped out of the window, knowing that Elizabeth was staring at him without any humor. “What?” He asked then, finally addressing her, “I find him amusing.”

She sulked, leaning against him, “He’s annoying, when we were children father never let him go anywhere without one of us with him, because he would get into trouble somehow.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“You don’t want to know.”

Before Kyle could reply there was a knock at the door. The two of them fell silent, until Stan’s voice made them relax.

“My King? We have a visitor.”

Elizabeth froze, her eyes onto Kyle immediately. The man got up and headed to the door, peeking his head out. At the sight of Kyle’s concerned stare Stan shook his head.

“It’s someone Kenny knows, he says he came from Kupa Keep and there’s something urgent he needs to tell you.”

Kyle nodded, “Go give Kenny the message, Alice is probably back there. I’ll be out quick.” With that he shut the door, turning to Elizabeth. She was already out of bed, heading to the wardrobe. What met her was a deep green and red robe and slippers.

“Who’s here?” She questioned.

“An envoy from Kupa Keep, it must be important.” Kyle told her, hoping that the visitor wasn’t hostile.

But then, if they were hostile, they’d be waiting in the dungeon towers and not in the throne room.

* * *

Butters wrung his hands nervously inside the throne room, looking around the majestic build. The palace was made of marble, the floors, the walls, the high ceilings were decorated in crystals and various gems. Everything about the palace came from the mines underground, as Larnion was rich in gemstones. It was their main resource, and it was one of the reasons why the King of Kupa Keep wanted to decimate the drow elves, believing that they were hoarding the land’s riches for themselves. The only thing he didn’t have was the Stick of Truth, and because of that Butters was grateful that his friend had never found it. As long as Larnion held the stick, Lord Fatass was powerless.

But that didn’t mean the Wizard King wouldn’t begin a war and eradicate the drow elves, because he knew they refused to use the Stick’s power. They only kept it hidden away, so people like Eric of the family Cartman couldn’t use it for their own greed.

Though, what Butters had heard that night was still running through his mind, that Eric was planning to murder all the drow, he was coming to get the stick and some woman. He hoped he made it just in time for the Larnion soldiers to prepare themselves, because he personally knew the numbers of the Kupa Keep soldiers. Larnion didn’t have the added help of anyone else, like how Kupa Keep did the Barbarian Tribe. Their only bonus factor was that they had the Stick of Truth on their side.

When the doors opened Butters looked up, his eyes falling onto the tall Xuzian prince first off. His presence perplexed Butters, because he assumed Xuzia and Larnion weren’t getting along. His eyes lingered on Alice’s, noting the two different colors. It was a rare sight. At his side was Queen Kenny, the woman picking up the pace to get to Butters quickly.

Behind him, was Kyle, the once-deceased King of Larnion. Butters almost felt dizzy seeing him alive and walking, and along side him was another blood elf. What was going on? Did they contract with blood elves? The Paladin was heavily confused, turning his focus onto Kenny once she approached him.

“We were told it was urgent.” Kenny said to him, “Stan refused to tell me anything, but the tone of his voice told me it’s something important.” She knew it had to do with the Wizard King, or else the Paladin would still be in Kupa Keep.

Kyle stood next to Kenny, remembering the Paladin. He was at the wedding, and had danced with Kenny at the reception.

Alice pulled on a smile at the sight of Butters, “Well he looks adorable.”

“He may look adorable but he can smite you easily.” Kenny said to him.

Butters looked from Alice to Kenny to Alice and finally to Kyle, “Gee, um, is there something you ain’t tellin’ me Kenny?” He was growing confused.

Elizabeth kept her eyes on Butters, rather, the translucent butterfly floating around him. Kenny didn’t smile at the question, “There’s something going on isn’t there, Butters?”

The Paladin suddenly remembered why he was here and nodded, pushing his confusion aside for later. “It’s the Wizard King, Kenny, he’s pallin’ up with a necromancer and he plans to send all the warriors to Larnion to kill all the drow!”

Stan watched as Elizabeth’s hand went to her mouth.

“That Necromancer is my brother.” Alice explained, “I would figure they’d plan something heinous.”

“He wants the Stick.”

“He can’t have the Stick!”

It was Elizabeth who had shouted it, her voice hard as nails, “Humans cannot handle the relic, neither can elves! It is why the relic is somewhere being protected rather than used. If that King Lardass thinks he can use it then it’s not possible, that Stick will use _him_.”

Kyle moved his hand to her shoulder, “No one’s getting the Stick, and no one’s attacking my people.” He looked over at Butters, “How long ago did you hear this plan?”

Butters fretted, “Well I heard it um a couple a days ago, and once I heard it I ran straight to Larnion!”

“You did good Butters.” Kenny smiled at him, giving the man a hug. “That means we have at least twenty-four hours to prepare.” She let go of him and turned to Kyle, “I may have been put here under different circumstances but within these five years I have grown to cherish this land and its people. The drow has been kinder to me than the humans had been and I don’t plan on allowing Lord Fatass to take that away from me. I’m going to stay and fight with my people.”

“I plan on staying as well.” Kyle nodded, “While I’m still alive I’m not going to waste it doing nothing. Stan, tell the knights, have every able-bodied drow prepared within twelve hours.”

Stan nodded, hurrying out of the room.

“They’re planning on killing you too,” Butters said directly to Kyle and Kenny, “The necromancer said he knew how to kill an orc.”

“Like that’s going to scare me.” She scoffed.

Alice grinned widely, “Ah, I know I promised myself that I wouldn’t shed blood…”

Kenny turned to him, putting her hand to his arm. “I don’t expect you to take anyone’s life for any of us.”

“If it’s you I’m protecting, I would gladly give my life.” Alice replied to her. Kenny only stared at him for an extended amount of time before lunging forward to kiss him passionately. Butters stared on, his eyes wide as he looked from Kenny to Alice, to Kyle, back to the kissing couple. The Queen was kissing the blood elf and not the King? He didn’t understand what was going on at all.

“Holy Urasis what did I miss?”

Kenny finally let go of Alice, turning back to Butters and pulling on a smile.

“Well, I guess there’s enough time to catch you up.”

* * *

Alice and Kenny sat with Butters at the high table, Elizabeth and Kyle having left after telling their story. Butters was still reeling from the tale, staring at Alice and Kenny’s joined hands, “So he’s the boy you were talking about?” Butters looked at Alice again, staring at his differently colored eyes.

Kenny nodded, “Yes, he’s the prince I was telling you about…”

The man blushed, “Oh boy I remember when you came back, you were so sad.”

Alice raised their hands to kiss Kenny’s. “So was I when I returned home. I wouldn’t have minded staying in Larnion with her…I prefer it here.”

“We both do.” Kenny agreed, looking at him with loving eyes.

Butters nodded in understanding, seeing how the two looked at each other was enough for him to know how much they loved each other. He remembered perfectly what had happened when Kenny had returned to Kupa Keep. She had fallen into a depression, and Eric hadn’t made it easy on her, telling her constantly that no royal would have never wanted her, and that the Xuzian prince was probably just playing with her or using her. Butters hated to watch as Eric constantly abused Kenny emotionally with his words, but she had refused to believe that Eric was right, because she could hear whispers, and she believed that it was the Goddess telling her otherwise, that they would meet again. He had come to believe that it was Alice that kept her strong enough to withstand everything Eric had thrown at her, up until she discovered her mother’s lineage. When Kenny became a Princess everything seemed to change, and while most of it changed for the worst, she was able to keep that faith strong.

The way that Alice looked into her eyes said it all for Butters. He looked at her like she had created the stars in the sky. He never knew that a lifetime’s worth of devotion could be summed up in a single look, and it was obvious to him that he had never once stopped thinking about her after they had parted ways. It was like they were destined to be together.

He watched them for a while longer, soon realizing that he was staring and soon looking away, blushing. He felt like he was intruding on an intimate moment by just sitting there with them, and he had to wonder what was going to happen after all of this was over. “Gee Alice, what do you plan to do after everythin’ is said an’ done?” He had no doubt that they would win the battle, as long as they had the Stick. They would be able to protect everyone if they were all inside the palace.

Alice thought about the question, not having thought about it ever since he arrived here. “I’m not leaving, for one thing.” He said first off, smiling. “Xuzia will be well taken care of by my sister, I’m not needed there. I never was.” His eyes went back to Kenny’s, “I was hardly there to begin with, no one noticed me unless I left my workshop…”

Kenny reached up to caress his cheek, “You won’t miss your people?”

He tilted his head enough to kiss the palm of her hand, his free hand moving to overlap hers. “My people wouldn’t approve of you and I, they wouldn’t even approve of Elizabeth and Kyle…it’ll be a long way to go until everyone will accept us wanting to spend our lives with outsiders…but to be honest, we’re outsiders to begin with, so there’s no real change.”

“What do you mean by that?” She asked quietly.

Alice kept his smile. “There’s a reason why Damien looks so different from us. Our mother, she was the High Priestess before Liz was born, and she married dad, the Great Satyr… well, the Goddess one day, led her to the center of the desert, and she found a human man drinking from the oasis. The Goddess told her to bring him back to Xuzia and care for him, and she did.”

Butters listened closely, leaning in.

“The people didn’t trust him at all, but our mother, she protected him…and I guess something happened, and…she fell in love with him.”

Kenny gasped, “You mean you and—“

He nodded, “Liz and me aren’t full-blooded blood elves, we’re products of an affair. But mom died at birth, and dad had the human hunted down and killed. We were brought up as his kin, however, and if it weren’t for Elizabeth being able to speak to the Goddess, he wouldn’t have favored her as much. It’s the initial reason Damien doesn’t care for us.”

Kenny stared at him with wide eyes, not having known any of this. “How did you find out about all of this?”

“Well, mom had a friend that she confided in, an older woman that took care of us, and she told us the story when we were old enough to understand. She has a daughter, one of Liz’s attendants that goes by the name of Lola.”

Kenny went silent for a moment, looking away before pulling on a wide smile, “You’re half-borns!” She said then, nearly excited.

“Yeah, and?”

“You don’t understand, _‘n_ _either person pure of elven blood nor human blood can hold the Stick, for it wishes to corrupt those who wish to use its power’_ , pureblooded humans or elves cannot use the stick, but half-borns would be able to wield it without trouble.” She looked excited, hopping up to her feet. “We need to find your sister!”

Alice stood up along with her, Butters following. “Wait what do you mean?” Butters asked, “What are we doing?”

“The Stick was made by my druid ancestors.” Kenny explained, “They created it for their own High Priestess, who could speak to Saline and Soleil! When the orcs warred with the humans, however, she had sent the Stick into a dark lake because the Goddesses told her that the wars would never end until the Stick was done away with.”

“How was it brought back if she sent it into the lake?”

“It called out to a human fisherman, and it has passed hands in wars ever since until Queen Sheila had taken it and ended the drow-human war. But this is not about the origin of the Stick, it’s about how it’s a primary weapon of the High Priestess.”

Butters’s eyes widened, “Liz can use the Stick against the Wizard King!” He said aloud, and Alice’s eyebrows raised into his hair before he turned sharply to leave.

Kenny darted after Alice, “Where are you going?”

“To find Liz!” He shouted.

Butters bounced on his heels for a moment before running after them, thrown into shock but knowing that everything was going to turn out okay.

* * *

The plan was to cut the Wizard King off at the border between Larnion and Kupa Keep, just before the forests. By the time they had made it there, the Wizard King’s troupe was in sight. There were hundreds and hundreds of humans, all of them carrying weapons. The Barbarian Tribe was also there, mixed in with the humans. At the forefront of the troupe was the Wizard King himself, and at his side was a man in black robes wearing a skull of a cow. The sight of the necromancer made Butters wince.

The drow soldiers kept their ground, providing a barrier between them and the forests. If that weren’t enough to stop them they also set up archers in the trees that were ready at any moment to fire.

The five of them stood upon the hill. Kyle and Kenny armed and prepared for war. To Kenny’s right was Alice, wearing his leathers with his bow at the ready, and to Kyle’s left was Elizabeth, the relic in her hand, glowing just slightly. The Stick had been where it had always been, underneath the royal greenhouse inside the darkened tunnel. Kenny’s eyes widened upon the discovery of its whereabouts, as ever since the King’s death the royal garden wasn’t tended to for the longest time. She never thought to even look there.

Butters stood at Alice’s side, staring directly at the necromancer. “So that’s your brother.”

“Yes.” Alice said then, “Dad must be back in Xuzia or he wouldn’t be here.”

“Keep an eye on him.” Elizabeth warned them, “Damien enjoys playing dirty.”

The closer the troupe had gotten to them the more they could see the anger on the Wizard King’s face, the man glaring directly at Butters. The entire troupe stopped nearly a yard away from the others.

“You fuckin’ TRAITOR!” He screamed out, pointing a finger at the Paladin. “I take you in and this is what you repay me with?”

“I wasn’t going to stand by while you tried to kill my friend!” Butters shouted.

“Whatever.” He growled, “You’ll die with them, then.”

“You’re nothing but a fraud!” Elizabeth’s voice rang out, and she stepped forward, “A fool in sheep’s clothing. You’re no King, you have never been a prince. Do your people realize that they have been led astray by a liar and a charlatan?”

Eric’s eye twitched, glaring at her until his eyes caught the Stick, and slowly a smile formed on his face. “Oh, believe me my princess, I’m more of a King than your undead drow boyfriend over there.” He grinned, “Now, if you don’t want me to bring down my wrath for your slanderous words, then you will come to me, with the Stick, and surrender yourself.”

Elizabeth glared at him, the fire in her eyes having returned. “I rather die than hand myself over to you.”

Damien, at Eric’s side, grinned under his mask, “So be it, sister.” He snapped his fingers, and suddenly there was a bloody cry.

Alice could see it before Kenny could, crying out and shoving his Queen aside before the arrow could hit her, hitting him instead, right in the back.

Kenny screamed as Alice fell to his knees. “ALICE!”

Damien only chuckled, “Also, those arrows are poison tipped, so I suggest saying your goodbyes.”

Kenny collapsed to her knees while Alice grimaced in pain. “Why did you do that? You know I come back from death! You can’t!”

Alice chuckled slightly, giving her a smile, “It doesn’t matter if you can’t die… I would gladly put myself in the line of fire …just to make sure you don’t.” He leaned forward to give her a lingering kiss.

Kenny began to tear up, kissing him in return and feeling his body weight become heavy. “Alice—“

“I’ll come back to you… even if it takes me a hundred lifetimes.” Alice whispered in her hair.

She held him close, feeling his breathing lessen. “I’ll never stop looking.”

Damien yawned, rolling his eyes before turning his head to the Wizard King, “Didn’t I tell you? He’d take the shot even if he knows she won’t stay dead.”

Eric snorted in amusement, “Well that’s one down.”

Kyle winced as he heard Kenny crying, watching as Butters tried to console her. “Alice’s death won’t be in vain you piece of shit. This ends right here and now.”

“This can end faster if you just give me the Stick, drow.” He directed his eyes at Elizabeth, pausing to see the fire that had taken over those emerald eyes. He smiled slowly, “There’s the princess I’ve grown to enjoy.”

When Elizabeth stepped forward Kyle grasped her arm. “What are you doing?” He whispered.

She turned to him, “This won’t end, the next person who dies can be any one of us. I’m going to finish this the only way I know how.”

Kyle’s eyes lingered on hers, catching the flames, seeing the determination. He began to hear whispers suddenly, many of them fluttering around her.

“I may be brought back by Damien, but the Goddess is keeping me alive. _You’re_ keeping me alive.”

Elizabeth went silent, her eyes staring into his before she stepped forward, reaching out to grasp his robes and pull him into a strong kiss before releasing him. “I’m going to do what’s best for my people.” She told him, “For you.”

Kyle watched helplessly as Elizabeth set forward, making her way across the small expanse of grass and to the Wizard King’s side. From his horse, Eric had began to grin madly, descending his mount so he could greet her.

“I knew you would come around.” The man cooed, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips. Elizabeth was like stone, still and unmoving. The whispers fluttered from all around, surrounding her, surrounding the both of them, telling her everything.

_“The only way to fight hate is with even more hate!”_

_“I would never kill somebody. Unless they pissed me off.”_

_“You piece of crap! I'll kill you!”_

_“Hey you guys, you know what they call a Jewish woman's boobs? ... Jewbs!”_

_“Hey! If you so much as touch Kitty's ass, I'll put firecrackers in your nut sack and blow your balls all over your pants!”_

_“Kenny's family is so poor that yesterday they had to put their cardboard box up for a second mortgage!”_

_“Kyle's mom is a dirty Jew!”_

_“Sieg heil! Sieg heil!”_

_“What's the matter, you got some sand in your vagina?”_

_“Respect my authora-tah!”_

_“They're not people! They're hippies!”_

_“Fucking shut up you Goddamn Jews!”_

_“Shut your fucking Jew whore mouth because if you keep tempting me I SWEAR TO GOD, I will put you in—FUCK!”_

_“I should be congratulating you, actually. You’ve managed to lure me into your trap quite effectively.”_

_“You know perfectly well what you cursed me with, Liz. Isn’t it obvious?”_

_“You’re not fucking leaving this house!”_

_“YOU BITCH!”_

Elizabeth Horowitz did the only thing she could do, and she slammed her fist into Eric Cartman’s face.

“YOU PIECE OF SHIT—“ The girl began to wail on him, hitting him with both her fists and the Stick. Eric began to scream, crumpling up into a ball as he continued to cry out at the top of his lungs.

Everyone had stopped, pausing the game with wide-eyes as the girl began to beat the shit out of Eric with a blazing passion. Whatever was going on before was quickly forgotten, Damien lifting the skull mask from his face to laugh, however it was the wrong thing to do, because at the sound of his laugh Elizabeth launched at her own brother and began to beat the shit out of him too.

“LIZ?” Damien screamed, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“The Goddess told me everything you fucking WHORE!” She screamed out.

Stan and Kyle stood a few feet away, Stan dropping his wooden sword. The two of them watched on as Elizabeth beat the two boys up. “Whoa.” Stan managed to say.

“I didn’t expect this to happen.” Kyle said, looking down at his golf club before looking back at Elizabeth.

“Yeah she really knows how to fight back.” Stan mused, looking at his best friend. There was an emotion in Kyle’s eyes that concerned him, “Dude?”

“I—I think I’m in love, Stan.”

The boy with the red poofball hat looked from Kyle to Elizabeth and back to Kyle. “Again? Didn’t you say this about—“

“This is different, Stan. I can feel it.” Kyle looked over at his friend. “There’s something about her, I don’t know what but I want to explore it.”

Stan scratched his head in thought, “I don’t know… Uncle Jimbo says never stick your dick in crazy.”

Kyle rolled his eyes.

Near the edge of the back yard Alice was still on the ground, looking up at the one-sided fight that her sister was winning, Kenny was sitting beside her, but his eyes were on Alice rather than the fight.

“I’m getting cold.” Alice said then, sitting up and getting to her feet. She looked over at Kenny, “Do you wanna go get a coffee? I’ll buy.”

Kenny’s eyes brightened and he nodded, taking off his wig. “I would love to!” Came the muffled reply, and Alice smiled brightly at him, taking his hand and heading back into the house.

After they removed their costumes the two children headed out down the street, Alice back in her blue hoodie and jeans while Kenny walked happily at her side sans dress. Once the screaming was out of earshot Kenny looked over at Alice and reached over to take her hand. Alice met his eyes with her own, smiling at him and letting him keep it.

The two walked quietly to Tweak Bros., entering the establishment and Kenny finally let go of her hand, picking a table while Alice went to order the coffee. Kenny put his chin in his hand, looking outside and watching people wander by before Alice set his coffee in front of him, sitting across from the boy.

“You know this place is pretty neat.” Alice said then, “I don’t really feel out of place in this town and I’m kinda glad dad decided to move here.”

“I’m glad your dad decided to move here too.” Kenny said from beneath his hood.

Alice pointed at her mouth, “You know I could hear you better if you took off your hood.”

Kenny hesitated, blushing a little before slowly lowering his hood from his head, exposing the boy with the sunflower blonde hair underneath. “No one really asked me that before.” He admitted truthfully.

Alice seemed to lose her train of thought the longer her eyes lingered on his face, and she eventually tore her eyes away and blushed. “S-sorry…you’re really cute.”

Kenny grinned, “Now you’re just saying that to get in my pants.” He laughed when Alice sputtered, almost spitting out her coffee.

“I’m being serious.” She said defensively, and soon there was a flutter of whispers hitting her ear. She couldn’t understand them at all, but ever since she met Kenny, she had been hearing them. “Have you ever felt like…we were supposed to meet?”

Kenny took a drink of his coffee, “You feel it too?”

She nodded, “Yeah. It’s weird, I get weird dreams suddenly and it’s…” The thought of them had her blushing and she occupied her mouth with her coffee.

“Hey.” Kenny smiled then, “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”

The question caught Alice off guard, and she blinked curiously. “What?”

“Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”

“I heard you the first time!” Her face was red and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, only seeing aquamarines instead of blue. “Y-yeah, I’d love to do that.” She said then, smiling widely at him. “Can’t wait to tell Liz that I snagged a boyfriend before her.” She giggled.

Kenny closed his eyes at the sound of her giggle, opening them after a while and finishing his coffee. “Tomorrow let’s go on a date. I know a few places in the town I can show you.”

“Yeah, that sounds awesome.” Alice grinned at him, “To be honest ever since we started playing the Zaron game I didn’t get a chance to explore the town.”

“I’ve had fun playing though.” Kenny glanced outside, watching a car drive by, “With you.”

“Star-crossed lovers till the end.” Alice said with a smile, finishing her coffee. “Let’s go to my house, I have an Xbox set up and we can play some Call of Duty.”

“Sounds great.” Kenny got up out of his chair, and Alice joined him, the two of them tossing their cups in the trash before leaving the cafe.

* * *

Later that night, while everyone was asleep, a figure was leaping across rooftops, settling on one certain roof of a certain house, finding a bedroom window open. The figure made his way into the room and looked over to the bed, seeing a sleeping girl with a braid. Mysterion kept his eyes on Alice, stepping down from the window and moving over to the bed, his hand moving forward to ghost over her cheek.

“It only took us one hundred lifetimes, but you’ve come back to me, Alice.” He said in a gruff voice, as quiet as a whisper. “This time, I won’t allow us to part.”

With that he moved his fingers to his lips, kissing them before pressing the fingers to her forehead. Alice only mumbled in her sleep and turned. Mysterion smiled, his aquamarine eyes glittering in the moonlight as he returned to the window and went back out, heading downtown to keep South Park safe from any dangers it may face.

END.


End file.
